Take Arms against a Sea of Troubles
by Sat0rare
Summary: This story starts with a prologue at 2x09 and then continues 2 days after the King's Cup. I had a lot of questions after 2x10 and tried to answer them for myself. I wrote it down, so maybe someone likes to read it. But please show mercy, this is my first try and English isn't my native language. However feel free to correct me, if you find spelling and grammar errors.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

He was carefully hiding in the shadows behind the cars and all that trash on the pavement, watching Brandon Boone. He was following that son of a bitch for weeks now, hoping he would lead him to a clue. Undercover for months, he had been hiding from something he couldn't quite understand. But his life was in danger and so he tried to find some puzzle pieces. With his dark tan, the self-made Afro, that scar on his face and his shabby clothes, nobody recognised him. In fact nobody would look at him even twice. The perfect disguise, just like his favourite literary character, Sherlock Holmes. He was a bit proud of himself actually...

But he was suddenly interrupted in his thoughts when he realised, Boone was following someone himself. A young blonde man in a fitted suit. He identified him as one of the twins' security details. The younger one. This one always looked a bit shifty to him, but the twins seem to trust him. But now the bodyguard turned into the small courtyard and Boone was following him. Very suspicious! He was about to cross the road to hide behind the red rubbish containers on the other side, but a third man appeared and followed the other two. The second of the twins' bodyguards. The older one, of which he knew that he were 27 years with Scotland Yard.

 _'Interesting! This just keeps getting better and better.'_ he thought, following his original plan, hiding behind the containers. They pointed their guns at each other and he rummaged around for his little hearing device to monitor them, but the conversation was already coming to an end. He just heard the older bodyguard suggest to continue this little chat in a more civilised environment like that small coffee shop at the corner.

He slipped out of his hiding place before they could see him and entered the little corner café. He had just ordered a cup of tea when the three men came in and took place two tables away. He and Boone sat exactly back to back with a free table between them. Perfect! Now he could eavesdrop…

But what he heard wasn't what he had expected. It was nothing what he didn't already knew. Except one thing! That sneaky, bloody bastard of a bodyguard was in love with his precious, little sister!? Robert nearly choked on his tea...


	2. Chapter 1: Arm-twisting

_OMG! I didn't expect so many respones. Thank you so much! This puts me a bit under pressure. I really hope, I can meet your expectations (I'm a bit afraid, to be honest). At first I will merge a few loose threads and I hope, I don't entangle myself. Robbie will appear again later (he's still investigating). Till then: back to the palace._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Arm-twisting**

"But you can't go!" Liam shouted, "There is hardly anyone left, I can trust. I need you to be here! Ted wasn't acting alone and the Stewarts still have our footage. And perhaps there are even more moles in the palace. It's still not safe."

"I know." Jasper sighed. "Liam, you know, I would help you with this, but I can't. Eleanor asked me to leave and as much as I want to stay... this time I have to respect her wish."

 _'Even if it will break my heart into a million pieces.'_ Jasper added in his mind.

Liam ran a hand through his hair. He was upset. He loved his sister, but why did she always have to be so stubborn? Now, of all times!

"I'll talk to her," he stated.

Jasper sighed. A little spark of hope rose in his heart, but the thought of Eleanor's expression on that specific evening squashed it immediately.

"I don't think, this is a good idea." he said quietly. "I don't want to hurt her anymore."

Liam watched Jasper who looked quite miserably. Badass Jasper, who normally was so tough and fearless, now looked like a beaten puppy, eyes downcast.

 _'He has deep feelings for her.'_ he thought as a brief image of Ophelia scurried through his mind. _'And as far as I know my sister, she also still cares for him. Deep down at least. It really shouldn't end like this.'_ he told himself this as a sort of excuse. But the real reason was, he was scared of the things that would come. And Jasper was his best chance.

"I understand, Jasper, but there is no other way. I need your help on this, WE need it! It's not just for me, it's also for Len."

Jasper wanted to argue, but Liam shut him down. "No, it's decided. I'm going to tell her now." And then he was gone.

Jasper wondered what had just happened. A lot of different emotions were flooding him, washing his usual calmness away...

* * *

Eleanor listened to Liam's remarks and it annoyed the shit out of her, that he was trying to change her decision. Especially THIS decision! It wasn't logical, her brother had good reasons and she knew that. But she was upset! Her whole day had been terrible. Guilt and anger were her dominant feelings since the King's Cup, and she desperately wanted some coke… and then there was this oppressive knot in her thorax she couldn't quite explain. But it made her feel really sick.

"You can't do this to me!" she bawled at Liam.

"I have to! And I will!" he yelled back.

She just wanted to protest, when she suddenly noticed that this ominous knot in her chest was about to disperse. Even the urge to vomit was gone.

"Fine!" she snorted "You're doing what you want anyway."

"Just till we found out, who is behind of all this, Lenny, I promise!" he assured softly.

She waved aside half-heartedly, "Then better hurry up! Now leave me alone…"

As Liam was gone, Eleanor wondered, why it obviously was impossible to get Jasper out of her life and - above all - out of her mind. _'Jasper. From Las Vegas. With his stupid American accent, those piercing sapphire eyes and his incredibly soft voice that made her knees weak… That sneaky bastard!"_ But somewhere deep down, she felt relieved. Of course she would rather bite off her tongue than to admit it.

* * *

For the next few days Jasper tried desperately to avoid Eleanor. He didn't want to bother her anymore and stayed out of her way as much as possible. But then the Queen ordered the twins to meet her, because she had some news to tell. Jasper was still Liam's bodyguard, so he stood silently in the shadows and tried to make himself invisible.

After the twins had sat down, Helena cleared her throat and announced: "Today's the day, my dear children. As you both know, I had arranged for a second paternity test and now we have the results."

Liam and Eleanor sat quietly with blank faces, waiting for Helena to continue.

"Again, I have to apologise for distorting the first one…" she said in a guilty tone. "But we're finally sure, you are both Simon's children." The twins faces showed relief. The man, they had always known as their father was, indeed, their father. "Now let's make things right and put you on the throne, Liam!"

Since Helena and Liam still had a lot of boring stuff to discuss, Eleanor slipped out heading for the balcony to smoke a cigarette. She took a quick gaze at Jasper who was hiding in the corner nearby.

Surprised to see a slight smile on her face (presumably due to the good news) instead of the usual annoyance, Jasper gathered his courage and followed her. For a while he silently stood behind her, only a few steps away, not knowing what to say.

"No longer avoiding me, bodyguard?" she teased, without turning around. She had sensed his presence. She didn't know how, but she always knew immediately when he was there. Another one of these mysterious effects he had on her.

"I didn't want to hurt you more than I already have." he said quietly "I'm so sorry, Eleanor. I shouldn't have allow Liam to persuade me…"

Now she faced him. "I don't know if you really had a choice. He can be so tenacious, when he got something into his head. Besides he is right. We do need your help." Eleanor had recently decided to deal with this issue like an adult. She was stubborn but not stupid.

"So… you're not mad?" Jasper asked carefully.

"Not too much…" she shrugged with an almost invisible smirk, "surprisingly."

Then she stubbed out her cigarette and gracefully swept past him, heading to her room and leaving an astonished Jasper behind.


	3. Chapter 2: Clean-up

_Note: I couldn't stand that season 2 walk on eggshells between Jasper and Eleanor anymore. So a little less drama here between the two of them. Especially Eleanor should be more true to her feelings in the 3rd season, at least to herself. (Please let me believe this! They are both better, when they are together.) And there is still so much more to deal with..._

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Clean-up**

Two days later they made an official announcement and the people responded exuberantly. The social networks were flooded with #KingLiam hashtags and there was nothing else on the telly anymore.

Cyrus sat in his room and was licking his wounds, deeply offended. After loosing Violet, his son and maybe soon his life, he felt miserably. He distracted himself with coke and alcohol and yelled at everyone who came in. From time to time he had hallucinations about Simon laughing at him. And sometimes he saw Violet and his baby, but mostly in his nightmares…

* * *

Meanwhile Ted Pryce was lying in a coma with Ophelia on his bedside. He had barely survived the attack. But only because the police had arrived in time and was able to prevent the worst. Phe had come from New York after the palace had informed her about the incident and sent her a security guard to escort her back to England. She hadn't spoken to Liam but seen Eleanor for a short awkward encounter. She knew, they didn't blame her for her dad's crimes and she couldn't blame them for uncovering them. But it hurt her and she still couldn't understand. Why did he do that? Did she really knew her father at all? And as she was lost in these thoughts, Ted's eyelids fluttered…

* * *

Liam's coronation was three weeks later. And since James was now head of security and reliable staff was short, Eleanor was stuck with Hagrid. He was gnawing at her nerves, so she took every opportunity to slip away from him and hide in some quiet corners of the palace. Jasper found her almost every time and, although he was concerned for her safety, deep inside he was quite amused. Eleanor seemed to tolerate his presence. She hadn't tried to kill him with her eyes for a while now and from time to time they even talked a little... almost like old friends. Jasper then briefed her on the status of the current investigations. MI5 had tracked down Jeffrey Stewart on a small welsh island. They had him arrested and interrogated but he didn't seem to know very much. Actually he had become completely insane. Most of the time he had breakdowns and wept for his sister Dominique, calling her name over and over again. And sometimes he was talking to the shadows on the wall. Seemingly he was a dead end.

This afternoon Jasper found Eleanor in the staff kitchen over a piece of cake. Since she gave up on the hard drugs and even on clubbing (at least for a while), this was one of her few remaining pleasures. She actually gained a few pounds, which made her even more adorable.

"Hiding from your bodyguard again?" he joked, making himself a cup of tea. He had learned to like it, which was clearly Eleanor's merit, although he sometimes still preferred coffee.

Eleanor snorted: "That clod is incredibly annoying! Always hanging on my heels like some piece of bog roll!" Jasper chuckled as she continued. "Why can't he be a little more like James or…" she stopped herself realising what she was about to say. "...never mind."

But Jasper noticed and watched her carefully. "How are you doing, Len?"

She sighed, "Okay, I guess. I feel guilty, although Ted is still alive and out of his coma. And angry as well, because he's still alive. I can't even talk to Ophelia. Any news from him by the way?"

"Well, he is still bedridden and too weak for an interrogation. Security guards his door till he's stable enough to go to prison, but I don't think he's in the condition of trying to escape. In fact he seems broken, hasn't even talked much yet." Jasper reported.

"I see..." Eleanor said, sinking back to her thoughts.

They sat silent for a while, Jasper sipping his tea and Eleanor picking at her cake. It felt peaceful. For both of them. Eleanor was used to be mad at Jasper, but since the King's Cup those feelings had vanished almost unnoticed. There in the stadium, in the worst moment, she had reached for his hand. HIS hand! Not just because he was the only other one in the room. She needed HIM. And he was there for her, as he always was when things were completely out of control. He pushed the button! He had led her safely through the raging crowd. She knew, she could be dead without him. Besides, she was tired of drama. Instead she discovered, to her surprise, that she actually enjoyed his company, although she would never tell him.

"Maybe," he said finally "there is a solution to your bodyguard problem."

Eleanor looked at him hopefully.

"Liam had the idea," he continued, "since Cyrus is off the throne, there may be a possibility that we could Marcus persuade to come back. We need every man we can trust."

Her eyes lit up.

"You could have him as your security detail. He's one of the best and Liam thinks the world of him." Jasper said.

He didn't even thought about the other option as Eleanor blurted out: "I want you back!" Not knowing how these words had found their way out of her mouth, her ears turned red and she added quickly: "As my security detail. Liam can have Marcus back."

For once, Jasper was speechless, but Eleanor tightened herself and stated: "Yes, this would be the best. I'll go and talk to James." Then she stalked out of the kitchen, leaving once more a surprised Jasper behind.

Eleanor left in a rush, a little bit embarrassed about her recent outburst. But deep inside her heart she felt excited. If she was honest, she'd really missed having him around all the time. And… the other things too. But she wasn't ready to admit that to herself. Instead she told herself that he was an excellent bodyguard. And that was absolutely no exaggeration!


	4. Chapter 3: Poking in the dark

_This one is a bit short, but I promise, the next chapter will compensate you for it. I will post it tomorrow. ;)_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Poking in the dark**

"How did this happen?" Liam asked raising his right eyebrow at his sister. "James just told me, that Marcus is coming back as my security detail on Monday. And as I asked about Jasper, he said you have insisted on getting him back as your bodyguard."

Eleanor felt a wave of heat rolling over her, knowing that her face was turning red under her make-up. "Yeah, well… don't judge me!"

"I'm not judging you, I'm just surprised. After all, you still seem to have some feelings for him." he poked with a smirk on his face.

She grumbled: "No, I don't! I was just tired of Hagrid. He is such a pain in the ass."

"But you could have had Marcus, you know?"

There he had her! She was going to lose her composure but then had a sudden intuition and answered triumphantly: "Yes, but I did it for you, brother mine. Because I know how much you like Marcus."

"How generous of you, sister." Liam teased. "But I like Jasper too and besides, I thought you can't stand him anymore."

"It's okay... it won't be that bad. I can do that for the King." Eleanor said sarcastically and dropped a curtsy.

But her brother ignored the pointed remark and suddenly got a serious expression. "He cares about you, you know that?!"

"Guess, I figured that out, yeah..." she finally sighted.

Liam left with a knowing smile on his face. _'If the king-stuff doesn't work out, maybe I should consider a career as cupid.'_ he thought, amused of himself.

* * *

Monday came and with it Marcus. At first he had a complete briefing with James and Jasper about the current situation and the ongoing investigations.

"Gentlemen," James addressed Jasper and Marcus, who sat on his sofa. "we already knew, Mr. Pryce had received several phone calls and messages from unknown numbers. Mr. Stewart had a few as well, one after he moved out, although someone answered the call. We checked them: all disposable phones. We have the numbers, but it's impossible to say, who they belong to. However some numbers of the Stewart calls were identical to some on Pryce's list. So they both had a connection to a third party. Presumably the person or persons we're looking for."

"MI5 should be able to determine the corresponding radio cells in the network." Jasper noted.

James nodded "Yes, they've done that, but the relevant cells are spread wildly all over London."

"Do we have a map on which the cells are marked?" Marcus asked.

"We have." said James, handing a large piece of paper over to Jasper and Marcus.

A whole lot of areas were marked. Impossible to see a pattern there. But Jaspers eyes were fixed on the map, staring holes into it. Something was gnawing at his subconscious.

"Can I have a copy?" he asked, planning to examine it more closely later.

After that, it was almost noon, Marcus escorted Liam to a meeting with the Prime Minister. James got back to his recent work and Jasper grabbed a quick snack and then started his first day with Eleanor, not sure what was going to come.


	5. Chapter 4: Only the truth remains

Okay, I think, you will like this chapter. The next few weeks I will be quite busy and don't know when I will be able to post the next chapters. But I will try not to let you wait too long.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Only the truth remains**

As he came into her room, she was already waiting. "Ah, finally. There you are! I guess you three musketeers had a lot to talk. Now dress up, we're going out!"

Jasper looked confused: "I'm already in a suit. What do you want me to wear, a tuxedo?"

She smirked: "I would suggest something more comfortable. We're visiting an old friend of mine and he doesn't care very much about haute couture. Put on some jeans!"

Looking at her, he noticed she was wearing some tight trousers, flat boots and a light quilted waistcoat over a sweater. "Give me ten minutes!" he said, heading to his room, wondering what kind of friend that mysterious 'he' would be.

Fifteen minutes later they were on their way through the royal estate, heading to the stables. As they reached the paddock, a beautiful palomino trotted to the fence. Eleanor greeted the horse effusively and fumbled a carrot from her vest, which the animal ate with enthusiasm.

Turning to her bodyguard she said proudly: "Jasper, this is Charlie Jones, one of my oldest and dearest friends."

A huge smile appeared on his face. Jasper liked horses and patted the wonderful animal gently.

"I guess you know, what we're going to do next?" Eleanor asked happily.

"Yeah, I think so... I guess I'm lucky, I had a few riding lessons as child." he said, overwhelmed by her joyful expression. He had never seen her like this. She was so light-hearted and beautiful with her shining emerald eyes beaming at him. His heart skipped a beat.

They trotted easily through the grounds as Eleanor cantered Charlie and cheerfully dashed away. Jasper had a little trouble to catch up with her, but she had so much fun, he couldn't complain.

After a while they were both exhausted and decided to take a break under an old lime tree. It was warm and sunny and they felt both so relaxed as Jasper started carefully: "Why did you change your mind?"

She knew, he was talking about her telling him to leave, and she was laid-back enough to admit the truth. "I was hurt when I said that... I couldn't forget what you did to me and maybe that made me blind to see, what you have done FOR me. And for Liam."

He was surprised. "And now?"

"Since the King's Cup, I can see things more clearly. You've done more than anyone else would have done. After all, you were still there... for me. As Liam came to me and said he wanted to keep you, I already regretted my decision to send you away."

He was touched. "I'm terribly sorry for what I did to you, Len. If I can do anything to make it up, please tell me. I'll do it."

"You can." she said "Tell me about Las Vegas and your reasons for your actions. I want to understand."

"Well, that's a long story..." Jasper began. And then he told her everything about his miserable childhood and his parents. That they were lousy swindlers and had never learned anything else. And so they never taught him anything else. They moved from trailer park to trailer park, constantly on the run from the police or the mafia. It was a shitty life and he wanted more than that. But all he ever knew was how to cheat and manipulate and so he got himself a security job at one of the big casinos to rip off rich old ladies and naive tourists. That was where he met Samantha. He never had deep feelings for her, but they had the same goals and got along pretty well. So they teamed up to do what they could best. But after a while it all felt meaningless and he got tired. He wanted to do one last con, a big one, and then retire, probably enjoying the rest of his life in luxury on some tropical island. And so he and Samantha made up the plan to steal the Koh-i-noor. All he ever knew about the British Royal family was that shit from the media about the playboy prince and the party princess. And he thought, they didn't deserve all that luxury anyway. So he became Eleanor's bodyguard... and that was when his house of cards collapsed. He'd never met anyone like her. It frightened him, that all his goals suddenly seemed dreary and pointless at once. But he couldn't stop it, his past caught up with him. She knew the rest...

Eleanor listened quietly and somehow she knew he was telling the truth. When he spoke about Samantha, she felt a stitch in her heart. But she also felt sad for him. What a dreadful life! It wasn't really an excuse for most of his behaviour, but she understood. Actually she could relate pretty well. She had done some terrible things herself. To him too. Using him as her toy only to get him fired the next day wasn't actually nice. From that point of view she couldn't blame him for blackmailing her. He only wanted to keep his job. The rest... well... Eleanor couldn't quite remember who initiated that whole angry-sex-thing. There was something inexplicable between them, that brought them together again and again... and it was thrilling...

"I understand..." she said thoughtfully as Jasper had finished. He didn't know what else to say and he didn't want to push her and so they rode back in silence, both of them lost in their own minds. But Jasper felt freed for the first time in his life.

Back in the palace they arrived at Eleanor's door as she looked at him with a shy smile on her face. "Thank you for being so honest with me, Jasper. It was a wonderful day. I don't remember the last time, I felt so comfortable." And then she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and gave him a chaste kiss. "I see you tomorrow."

She was about to enter her room as she felt him grabbing her wrist from behind. Surprised she turned around, to see him looking at her with his steely blue eyes. Seeing pure tenderness and longing and a slight spark of desire in his gaze, she wasn't able to look away. It made her shiver. She was incapable to move, as he closed the short distance between them and gently lifted her chin with his forefinger.

And then all at once his lips were on hers for a passionate kiss, sending hot showers through her whole body. It felt so damn good after all this time. She couldn't help but putting her arms around his neck and kissing him back devotedly. He pulled her closer and his hands wandered all over her spine making her dizzy. His intimate touch and his familiar scent made her pulse racing, bringing back memories and emotions she had almost forgotten...

Just as she wanted nothing more than dragging him inside her room and ripping off his clothes, he pulled back and said hoarsely: "Good night, princess!"

Then he was gone and Eleanor stood there, stunned and unable to find a clear thought...


	6. Chapter 5: Clues and realisations

This is a shorter one again, but with a lot to think about for a while. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Clues and realisations**

Jasper's heart was still beating wildly as he reached his staff room. He closed the door behind him, breathing heavily. What had just happened? He actually hadn't planned to kiss her like this (not so soon at least), but once her lips were touching his, he couldn't stop himself. He missed her so goddamn much! It was hard to hold himself back, but in a rare moment of bravery he finally found the strength to withdraw from her. He didn't want to rush things this time, but that wouldn't be so easy.

He desperately needed a distraction. So he immersed himself into the map that James Hill had given him this morning. And then, hours later, he noticed something...

* * *

The next morning he was talking to James: "I looked at the map again, cluster by cluster. Until I got here..." Jasper pointed it out.

"Is that...?" James realized "Blimey! That's the area where they found that maid's – I think her name was Violet - car after she vanished!"

"Exactly!" Jasper said "And I looked at the protocols. The phone call from there was made in the same night."

"You think, there is a connection?"

"It's probably nothing since the calls are spread all over the city, but I have a feeling we should make further investigations on this."

James nodded. "Everything could be important. I'll call MI5 and let them snoop around."

"Thank you, James!" Jasper said, relieved to be taken seriously. "So how do you like living in the palace, you and Sarah?"

The older man smiled broadly. "Oh, this living room is bigger than my old apartment. And Sarah loves it here, she only talks about the princess. Last week they had tea together. The way to school is a little bit longer but we feel very comfortable here."

Jasper was happy for James and glad to have him as his boss. He was kind of a father figure for him. At least he thought, a father should be like this.

* * *

Later that day, Eleanor was chilling on the balcony, enjoying the view. She hadn't seen much of Jasper today. He was probably consulting with James and Marcus, but a little part of her worried, he would avoid her after yesterday. She had mixed feelings too.

At this moment her mother joined her. "What are you mulling over, daughter mine?"

"Just... trivia, nothing important." was Eleanor's diffuse answer.

"I've noticed, you took Mr. Frost back as your security detail." Helena went on raising her left eyebrow, "So you have forgiven him then?"

Eleanor sighed "I try... but it's not that easy. You don't know what he did..."

"Oh, believe me, I know!" Helena stated. "The Queen knows everything."

"You know about the night of the birthday party?" Eleanor's eyes widened.

Helena nodded "Yes, Jasper told me himself a few days later."

"What?! And you didn't have him fired or imprisoned?" Eleanor exclaimed.

"Maybe I should have." her mother said quietly, "I already knew a lot about him since I had checked his record by MI5 and MI6. But he seemed remorseful and somehow... broken. And, even if the Koh-i-noor was his reason to came here... in the end, he was the one who stopped Ms. Cook and also brought your earrings back."

Helena's face had a serious expression as she continued: "I've seen him looking at you that night. He didn't notice me, but I saw him weeping. And after our mother-daughter-talk the next day, I was sure, you too have some feelings for him. And I felt guilty for screwing up on you two. That's why I finally decided to give him a chance to prove himself. But I made it quite clear, I would rip off his head, if he would ever hurt you again."

Eleanor stared at her mother open-mouthed. Weeping?! Stone-faced Jasper and tears? She had seen the hurt in his eyes that night she told him to leave, yes. But she never thought, he would care that much. Obviously she really was blind all the time. Her view blurred by her own feelings...


	7. Chapter 6: Unconditional surrender

_In case anyone is wondering, I had to delete my songfics since quoting lyrics is prohibited. Which means, songfics are prohibited, because songfics without lyrics make absolutely no sense. I know, it's the copyright law (...), but it makes me question fanfic writing in general. I just can't enjoy it anymore... so I'm not sure, when I'm in the mood for the next chapter. My flow is gone... at least for now, sorry. :(_

 _But since this chapter is complete, here you go. Hold your knickers, ladies! You might need it!_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Unconditional surrender**

In the next few days Jasper caught Eleanor several times secretly staring at him. It made him somewhat nervous, because she never said anything about it, and her expression was unreadable. But apart from this she seemed in a good mood and even blatantly flirted with him. He wondered with what he'd earned so much attention, but he liked it. He liked it way too much, to be precise.

"Okay, what is it?" he asked finally.

Eleanor looked surprised. "What?"

"You were staring at me. Is there something in my face I should know about?" Jasper raised his eyebrows with a questioning expression.

Her cheeks turned a bit red. "Like what?"

"Well, I don't know. Tomato sauce? An elephant trunk?" he shrugged.

Eleanor laughed. "No... you look ridiculously perfect... as ever."

"Why are you staring then?" Jasper went on.

 _'Because you look ridiculously perfect.'_

"I'm not staring!" she objected.

He folded his arms and looked at her expectantly. "Yes, you do!"

"I don't! I... I was just wondering, if you could be on duty tomorrow night." she changed the subject, Jasper noted.

"I think, I could, but it's Liam's party tomorrow. You're not leaving the palace and there are only close friends. This Beck will be there too." he teased. "Besides there is enough security already. You will be fine."

Eleanor pouted "But I need YOU to protect my body, Jasper!" pronouncing the last syllable of his name like a purr.

She was clearly up to something, but he couldn't resist (he never could). "Okay then. If you need me so desperately."

* * *

Liam had this party badly needed. His last weeks had been exhausting and his schedule was packed full to the brim. Being King really wasn't that easy. He did well, but now he needed fun and relaxation with his friends. He just wanted to be Liam tonight and not 'His Majesty'. Cheerfully he welcomed Holden, Ivan and Ashok. And Beck was there too (he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to invite him, now that Lenny and Jasper were closer together again). And then he saw another familiar face. "Willow! You came!"

Jasper had picked up Eleanor from her room and now they entered the party. While Eleanor greeted her friends and made small talk here and there, Jasper slipped into a corner switching into bodyguard mode, his eyes fixed on her. Her little black dress was barely covering the important parts of her body and looked more like a negligee. It made him crazy and his suspicious gaze fell on Beck, who was embracing Eleanor with delight. His jaw tensed but his expression remained calm and stony.

"Hi, Beck!" Eleanor said, greeting her ex-lover.

He pulled her into his arms "Lenny! It's so good to see you. How are you?"

They chatted for a while about this and that. She was polite but distant. It was good to see him, but she noticed, her former feelings for him were gone. He was just a good old friend now, nothing more. She looked over to Jasper, who was still standing in his corner, eyes on her with a dark glance. She became fidgety.

"Beck, would you excuse me, please." she said, not waiting for an answer, and headed in Jaspers direction, leaving a miffed Beck behind.

But she didn't get far. Suddenly a tipsy Holden bumped into her. "Ah, Lenny! My favourite princess!" he beckoned.

"Holden!" she smiled "What can I do for you?"

He looked a bit nervous as he touched her arm in confidence. "Maybe you remember that red-haired girl who was with you on your birthday party?"

"Imogen?" Eleanor asked.

"Oh yes, I guess that was her name... I was thinking about her for a while now and wondered... she looked like a good friend of yours and maybe you can give me her phone number?" Holden looked at her like a puppy.

Eleanor grinned "Really? I don't know if she's currently interested in men... after what happened with that Viktor brute."

"Yeah, I heard about that. But I promise I will be nice to her. You know me." he begged.

"Well, Casanova..." she contemplated "I guess she appreciates what you have done for her at the party. I tell you what: I give her your number and let her decide. How's that?"

"Fair enough!" Holden said smiling and joined Ivan and Ashok at the bar.

Finally Eleanor was free to continue her way to Jasper... but she couldn't see him anymore. His corner was empty and she looked around. After a while she noticed him standing on the balcony and joined him.

"Neglecting your job, bodyguard?" she teased.

He didn't look at her, his gaze wandering over the palace grounds. "I needed some fresh air... and you had enough men in there to take care of your body."

She grinned. "Are you jealous, Jasper?"

He turned to her, his jaw clenched but his eyes filled with sadness and longing. "I'm always jealous when it comes to you. You don't know, what you're doing to me."

She smiled and came closer until they were almost touching. "Believe me, I know." Then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly.

Jasper lost his control almost immediately, his blood was boiling in less than a second. He pulled her closer, kissing her harder, his hands wandering down her back and a little bit lower, transforming her knees into jelly. She made a lustful noise as he pulled her hair to gain himself access to her neck, leaving a prickling trace of wet kisses on her skin. His breath was heavy when he nibbled on her earlobe, whispering: "Lenny... I want you so much..." She pulled him back to her mouth and their lips met once more with desire. Eventually they had to catch their breath and she took his hand and purred: "Follow me, bodyguard!"

Eleanor pulled him all the way to her room, not caring who might see them. She closed the door and locked it, looking at Jasper.

"Is this what you want?" he asked in a dark clouded voice.

She nodded and suddenly his hands and lips were all over her, pushing her against the wall, leaving burning marks on her skin. It had been so damn long and her whole body was craving for him. She stripped off his jacket and began to unbutton his shirt while he kissed her fiercely.

"You belong to me!" he growled, sending butterflies all over her body.

God, she had missed this so much! Soon their clothes were spread all over the floor and Jasper carried her to her bed where they melted into each other.

"Finally!" she whispered.


	8. Chapter 7: Weakness

_I'm still sad about the fact, that copyright laws kill a whole fanfic genre. In science quotes are allowed, as long as you make clear, it's some others work and not yours. In fact, without quotes science wouldn't work..._

 _Anyway... here is a new chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Weakness**

Jasper woke up early to find Eleanor cuddled to him, her arm across his chest and their legs tangled together. It was the most beautiful sight he'd ever had. He couldn't believe his luck. Only a few weeks ago he thought, he had lost her forever, and now he felt her warm body lying next to him. He was so happy, he couldn't help but shed a tear. "I love you so goddamn much, Lenny!" he mumbled softly, kissing her on her forehead. Then he closed his eyes again to get a little more sleep.

Eleanor wasn't ready to wake up and leave her cosy bubble so soon. She was drifting in the quiet place between sleep and wake and, for once, all was perfect. She had missed him and she hadn't even realised how very much. His smell, his touch, his tender kisses, his soft voice whispering sweet dirty things into her ear, the way he was looking at her... she couldn't get enough of him. She wanted this to last forever and kept dreaming as she heard him say those words. They sparked a fire that spread immediately through her entire body. She waited for a panic attack, but it didn't came. She just suddenly felt blissfully happy... and completely insane. How did this happen?

* * *

"Good morning, my dear twin-sister!" Liam effusively greeted Eleanor who hung around, once more, on the balcony. Somehow it was her favourite place (not only since yesterday).

Strolling in her direction he teased. "I saw Jasper coming from your room two hours ago... looking a bit dishevelled. Not his usual style, huh?"

He showed his typical 'I-knew-it'-expression and a huge grin that instantly made her want to slap it out of his face. "You two were leaving in a hurry yesterday, I heard..." He raised his eyebrows looking at her, full of expectation.

"Keep it for yourself, brother!" she snapped "I know, you too weren't alone last night. What was her name, Wilhelmina?"

Liam's face turned rosy and showed a dreamy smile. "Yes, Willow. I think, I like her very much. But let's stick to the point. You look incredibly happy today, Lenny."

"Really?" her hands touched her face as if they could feel any signs of happiness there.

"He has changed," Liam said simply "and so have you. You are softer now and not so self-destructive anymore. I like that."

 _'Guess that's what love is doing to you.'_ she thought, a little shocked about this sudden insight, but said nothing.

"By the way... where is your prince charming? I was looking for Marcus, but I haven't seen him either." he asked.

"Probably in one of their meetings with James." she shrugged.

* * *

"MI5 investigated the maid's disappearance again. They found some traces which indicate that she could still be alive." James said. "We have a witness, who saw someone leaving the car and making a call. By his description it could have been Violet."

Marcus frowned "But why does this witness appear just now?"

"I think, because no one was really looking for her before." Jasper said quietly.

"Yes," James admitted. "Ted Pryce led the investigation at that time. We suspect that he has covered up her disappearing."

"We need to question him then." Marcus said.

James nodded "We will. He will be transferred to prison this afternoon. So he is ready for an interrogation. I want you there Mr. Frost, together with an MI5 agent. Make sure, he asks the right questions!"

Jasper sighed. This wouldn't be easy for him. Pryce was the one who had given him a chance when no one else did. Jasper had looked up to him. Well... till he started to act weird and wanted him to stop his investigations. He also felt guilty for pressing the button, which led to the fact that Ted was beaten nearly to death by a furious mob. Jasper braced himself for a rough day. He may have been a thief and a swindler, but he still had a heart.

* * *

In the early evening, Jasper returned to Eleanor. She was about to complain for him leaving her alone the whole day, when she saw his face. He looked tired and sad. So she did something, she'd never done to him before. She simply put her arms around him and patted his back to comfort him. He returned the hug and held her close for a while. It felt so good.

"Tell me!" she demanded eventually.

They sat down and he told her what they had found out from Ted. Apparently Violet was working for THEM just like Ted, and she called him that night to cover her up, because she had to disappear quickly after the Duchess had tried to kill her. Ted wouldn't say, who THEY were, but he implied that THEY would threaten Ophelia to make him obedient. And also, that his wife's death wasn't an accident. Probably Violet's story was similar.

It was hard for Jasper, to see his former boss like this. Broken and despaired. He had given him his word to ensure, that Ophelia was protected. And her boyfriend too. James made the suggestion to keep her close and give them a cottage on the palace grounds and their own security team of course. Eleanor wondered if she liked the idea. She liked Ophelia, but it would be at least awkward for all of them... and probably very difficult for Liam. But those thoughts had time until tomorrow.

She knew, it was probably too fast to make it a habit… but she took him to her bed again this night. They both needed distraction and comfort. And Eleanor always had a weakness for Jasper. Maybe that was the reason, she stood so firm over the last months. But somehow he had managed to tear down her walls again. However, something had changed between them. She didn't know were the strength came from, but suddenly she was fearless and ready to fight for this… _relationship?_


	9. Chapter 8: Resurrection

_I'm still very occupied at the moment, but here is a new little chapter for you._

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Resurrection**

"Ssh!" Cyrus made a fending gesture and turned to the other side. "Cyrus!" someone gave him a shake. He slowly opened his eyes and they fell on Violet's face. He was sure it was only a dream, as always, and closed his eyes again. "Now wake up already, I have something to tell you!" she said a bit louder.

Suddenly he was awake and stared at her in disbelief. "Violet! But I thought you were dead!"

"Yes, sorry about that, but I had to hide. It's still not really save for me to be here, but I have to tell you something very important." Violet said, "I came through the tunnels." she added as Cyrus was still staring at her.

Finally he broke away from his numbness and embraced her stormily. He probably never felt so happy in his entire life. "I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too." she assured him "But you won't like me anymore when I've told you my story."

And she talked while Cyrus listened. It all began 3 years ago, when her mother got dementia. Violet was really broke back then and nobody would help her to raise the money to put her mum in a good nursing home. Despairingly she responded to an ad in the newspaper. There wasn't much information, only a phone number and the promise to help with all kinds of problems. It was all a bit weird, but they gave her the money in exchange for a favour sometime in the future. She had no choice, so she said yes.

Eventually she became the job in the palace… and then they called. They wanted her to spy on the Royal Family and to make their intention clear, they threatened to harm her mother. She was assigned to Cyrus and since he kept no maid longer than 3 months, she had to come up with something to prevent her dismissal. That's why she hooked up with him in the first place. But after a while she realised to her surprise, that she truly had feelings for him. He wasn't that bad after all. Actually he was rather nice, at least to her. But then the Grand Duchess of Oxford had tried to poison her and she had to clear out. She knew, Ted was working for THEM too and so she called him that night, to cover her up. She was hiding for a while, but then her mother died after a stroke and she decided, she had nothing more to lose, so she came back to tell her story and to warn the Royal Family. It wasn't over yet. They were all in danger and Violet could name at least two other palace employees, who were working for THEM as ticking time bombs.

Cyrus was upset. But not for the reasons she thought. "Is that the reason, you never said it back?"

She nodded "It just wouldn't have been fair to you."

"But you love me?" he begged.

"Yes, Cyrus, I love you!" she said simply "But now we have to do something to protect your family. I know, you care about them. Even if you would never admit it. But it's your family, the only one you have."

* * *

"Eleanor!" Ophelia called. "I'm so glad to see a familiar face. It's been really awkward."

"Yes, I understand… it's a bit awkward for me too." the princess confessed. "A lot has happened and I'm afraid it could affect our friendship. But I wanted to check on you and see, if you're safe and if you need anything."

"Thank you, Eleanor, I appreciate it. We just moved in and still haven't unpacked everything, but why don't you come inside and drink a tea with me?" Phe invited.

Eleanor accepted the offer and so they began to talk. At first it was uncomfortable. Bulky random small talk. But then they relaxed a bit and realised that they were still friends.

"How is Liam?" Ophelia asked finally.

"He takes it hard." Eleanor said. "I think, it's difficult for him, to talk to you. Even more than for me. But he seems to have a new love interest..."

Phe blushed but then said "I'm glad. Me and Nick, it's getting serious. It's still a secret and please don't tell Liam right now, but he proposed to me yesterday and I said yes."

"Woah, congratulations! It's good, you have someone who cares for you, especially now." Eleanor smiled "Are you happy?"

"Very much!" Ophelia said. "Well, apart from the obvious. I don't know if I ever really knew my dad. But let's not talk about that. What's with you? I've heard some rumours about Jasper sleeping in your room lately."

Eleanor blushed and rolled her eyes "That's so typical! Obviously the staff here has nothing better to do than to spread gossip! They knew everything, before you even know it yourself!"

"Come on, tell me!" Ophelia giggled.

And Eleanor finally told her all the things that happened between her and Jasper while Phe listened open-mouthed. "Therefore it's a bit difficult for me, to trust him again. But the other morning, just when I was about to wake up, I heard him whisper those 3 words. He hadn't noticed that I was awake, so I think, he really meant it. And then a few days ago my mother said, she saw him after that birthday party disaster and he had tears in his eyes!"

Ophelia stared at her. "Oh my god, Eleanor! That's so sad and beautiful, there has to be a happy end for you two!" Ophelia clearly was a hopeless romantic.

As Eleanor was on her way back, she reflected about all the things that had happened and what she had told Ophelia. At the end she could no longer ignore that she actually had deep feelings for Jasper. Does that really mean she was in love? She didn't know.

Back in the palace she was surprised to find a small gathering in the Red State Room. Almost everyone was there: her mother, her brother, James, Jasper, Marcus, uncle Cyrus (What?!) and… wasn't that the maid, Cyrus was so nuts about? But she was supposed to be dead...


	10. Chapter 9: Moles and beasts

_I know, the chapters are short, but I try to update more often when I'm back home..._

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Moles and beasts**

Eleanor was astonished at what Violet had to tell. And even more about her uncle, whose mood had brightened immensely (although he still stared daggers into Helena's direction). It was obvious that nasty old Cyrus was very happy about the maid's return.

Violet told them, there were two other moles in the palace. One she identified as a former assistant cook, who had quit 2 weeks ago without giving reasons (well, his colleagues said, he was depressed). The other one was quite a shock. It was a security member named Daniel Sawyer and he was in duty for Ophelia now! At this very moment!

As the information had settled, Liam, Eleanor and Marcus jumped up at the same time and stormed outside. Jasper was following close, more concerned about the twin's safety...

Ophelia was watering the roses in front of her cottage as they arrived. One of her guards flanked the front door. It wasn't Sawyer. She looked puzzled about the group visit, especially as she saw their worried expressions. "What happened?"

"Where is your other guard, Phe?" Marcus asked alarmed.

She was confused, "He is with Nick in that guitar shop in the city. He needed new strings. Why?"

They told Ophelia a brief version of what happened as Marcus' phone rang.

"Jeffries."

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Understood."

The call was short and Marcus turned back to the others. "It was Hill. Nick's and Sawyer's car has returned through the front gate, just now."

Jasper looked at the twins and Ophelia. "Quickly into the cottage! Hide and no sound!" He nodded to the other guard at the door and waved for Marcus to follow him behind the cottage and out of sight.

At this moment the car arrived. Nick and Sawyer got out and were obviously in the middle of a conversation about music. They laughed and chatted like old friends.

Marcus and Jasper were waiting for Nick to get inside and out of danger so they could attack, when suddenly Ophelia run out of the cottage in Nick's direction. Then everything happened very quickly. Eleanor screamed. Nick was paralysed. Sawyer realised what was going on and grabbed Phe. Jasper and Marcus left their cover, the other guard drew his gun. And Liam… crazy Liam jumped out of the cottage, shouted "Geronimo!" and tackled Sawyer from behind so that Ophelia could break free. The three bodyguards were quickly on the spot now and together they overwhelmed Sawyer in a couple of seconds.

After it was all over, Marcus and Jasper were very mad at the others. They grumbled for about half an hour over the fact that none of these kids ever listened to them and how dangerous that stupid act was and how they should be able to protect them, if they always were doing just what they wanted. Especially Liam, who was inclined to rash actions. Just recently at the King's Cup he had pulled this dangerous stunt with Ted...  
But in the end the relief took over. Nobody was harmed, except for a few bruises.

Of course Sawyer was locked up and questioned. He wasn't very tough and blew the whistle almost right away. Of course he didn't knew much, but he had a name which once had accidentally slipped out of one of his phone contacts: Hastings.

* * *

Robert was clueless. Until now he had found almost nothing. He knew the following:

Someone, presumably someone very powerful, wanted him dead. Boone had been working for them, but the palace guards had obviously already found out about his role in this play. They didn't bother to lock him away, so he seemingly knew not much. It would have caused too much attention, anyway. He was just a mercenary and he seemed to regret it even. Robert would never forgive him, but he thought about to make contact with Boone. Then he decided against it. The military was deeply enmeshed in this case and it was possible that they still had an eye on him.

Then, and this was the hardest part, he knew from the news that his father had been murdered. He was sure, it was related to his 'plane accident' what meant, the rest of his family was in danger as well. And he knew, it was Ted Pryce who did it. That was the most shocking fact about it. It was painful to lose a parent. But knowing that he had been murdered by someone he knew all his life and whom he had trusted… that was the worst! It had hurt him deeply to even think about it. He had been crying for weeks. And he was so so angry!

Robert was not hotheaded like his brother. But he knew, there was a wild, raging animal deep inside him, probably from the very beginning. He learned early to lock it away, had conditioned himself a long time ago, after he saw what damage even the baby beast could cause. But underneath it grew stronger and stronger with every shit he had to swallow. Over the last months it became increasingly difficult to hold it back. The chains began to tear apart now and it cost him all his strength to keep the walls upright. It consumed him, it scratched on his inside, tearing bloody wounds in his tantrum, because he refused to let it out. He couldn't. It was too powerful. And it was too late to tame it. Or maybe it was never possible in the first place. It almost tore him apart. He was nothing more than a wrecked cage. And he was running out of time. He needed to go home.


	11. Chapter 10: Deep insights

_I'm still too busy to write much, but here is another puzzle piece to jolly you along. ;)_

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Deep insights**

 _Helena,_

 _as you know, I swore to me I would never_  
 _contact you again, since the twins aren't mine._  
 _And I wouldn't do it either, but there is something_  
 _very important, I have to talk to you about._  
 _Please meet me in my cottage after sunrise._

 _And be discreet at all costs!_

 _Alistair_

Helena looked at the letter in her hands. She read it again and again, but she couldn't really understand its content. It was his handwriting, no doubt, but the cold, businesslike tone and the urgency in his message disturbed her. It was a discrepancy. She knew he probably hated her, after all she had done… and she hated herself too. But this was almost antiseptic. And yet he had written. What could be so extremely important?

When Eleanor strolled into the State Room, she found her mother still sitting at her desk, deep in thoughts.

"Something happened?" she asked.

Helena sighed, "I'm not sure, actually. But I think it's time to tell you a story..."

And then she told her daughter everything she had only indicated previously. About Alistair. About their history and her love for him. About the paternity scandal. About her assumption that Lucius had killed him. About her surprise when she found out, that he was still alive. And then about their last conversation and how it had ended. And how it felt as if he were dead again. How she missed him. And how she tried to bury her feelings for him, deep down.

For a short, rare moment Eleanor could see right behind her mother's walls. How vulnerable and broken she was under her thick shell. And she felt sorry for her mum and realised how little she knew about her. Their relationship had always been strained, it was always a competition, a battle almost. All her life she thought, her mother was this selfish, controlling woman, who couldn't understand her daughter's problems. She never had the feeling she could come to her and talk about her fears and dreams. Instead she talked to her dad and ignored her mother most of the time. Her mother was the Queen, and the King was her dad. But now she slowly realised, how wrong she had been all the time.

Eleanor followed the urge to hug her mother and they held each other for quite a while. Like mothers and daughters had always done, from time immemorial.

* * *

Later Eleanor stood at one of the balconies. The palace gardens looked so peaceful in the moonlight. Sometimes she wished, the night could last forever. The darkness numbed the problems of the day. Everything seemed much farther away. But the morning always came much too fast and the whole mess with it. Was it always like this in her family? Probably.

"What are you thinking about?" Jasper asked. He had quietly joined her on the balcony and stood behind her now.

"My mum," she said, not turning around. "and how little I knew about her. She was like me once. And she gave up everything for her family."

"Seems everyone has their demons." Jasper remarked as Eleanor leaned back against him. He knew a lot about demons. But since he met her, his own demons no longer seemed so frightening. Instead he was determined to fight hers. He would walk through the seven gates of hell, just for one little smile from her. On bleeding feet! It surprised him himself, how much he was willing to do for her. But it didn't scare him anymore. Absent-mindedly he caressed her bare arms with his fingertips and buried his nose in her dark curls. He inhaled deeply. He wanted to preserve her scent to keep it forever.

Eleanor enjoyed his gentle touch. She loved it when he did that. He probably didn't know, but she felt like some kind of delicate harp then. And he could play on her with virtuosity. Sometimes she even thought, she could hear slight music. Like at the masquerade, where he made this thing with his fingers as they danced. He did it rarely back then, but now it was all different. He was different. He had let his walls completely down for her. No more lies. He showed her the real Jasper. And she liked it.

She turned around and snuggled into his sweatshirt. It was so soft and warm. She shivered a little. He put his arms around her and said: "Let's go inside, it's getting cold!" She nodded, gave him a peck on his cheek and drew him back to her room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Helena got out of her car and stood hesitating under the starlight in front of Alistair's cottage. She was afraid. This would be no casual chat for sure. But then she pulled herself together. She was the fucking Queen of England after all. She would go in there now and face what was going to come!


	12. Chapter 11: Old secrets

_I'm still a bit short on time, but here is another small one..._

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Old secrets**

Robert had racked his brain about how he should contact his family. He couldn't just simply march into the palace. And in public everything was full of paparazzi. He thought about the bodyguards, but he didn't really like the younger one that was after his sister. That cheeky ferret! The older one, he thought, was reliable. He had punched Boone in the face, which was pretty amazing, and had earned his sympathy. But he was rarely seen outside the palace lately and since he was the new head of security, he was too well-known. That left Robert's friends. But there was only one, he trusted enough: Beck. To his bad luck Lord Twysden Beckwith II was currently in the Maldives. The press said, to cure his heart, which a certain princess had broken recently. Robert raised his brows on this delicate news. He was stuck. Frantically he went over all the faces he had ever seen at the palace. Until finally from his subconscious someone showed up.

He didn't knew him very much, but since he could remember, he had seen him with his mother once in a while. When he was little, he hadn't thought much about it. But later over the years, he put two and two together. His mother had a secret lover! At first he was really angry about it, but he realised the fact, that this man came for many years repeatedly, probably living for these rare moments. And on that one evening, he saw it. How they looked at each other. He had never seen that look between his parents. He wondered if he should tell his father about his detection, but then he realised: the King already knew. So he kept quiet and pretended not to have seen anything. He already was a great pretender at that time. One of the skills a heir to the throne had to learn quickly. But to come to the point… he had to think hard to remember the name of this guy... he was sure, it was something with the letter L… _'Longbottom… Lockwood... Lundy… Landon… Langley… Lancie… Lacey! Yes! Captain Lacey!'_ That should be enough to find him! And if he still was this devoted to his mother, he would help him and keep his mouth shut!

* * *

Alistair didn't really know, how this had happened. He had thought, he was done with the Royal Family, once and for all. But then yesterday this man had shown up on his doorstep. He hadn't recognised him at first, even though he seemed strangely familiar. But then the realisation had hit him like a brick. Without the scar and this ridiculous hairstyle this was clearly Robert Henstridge. Who was dead. Or rather: the whole world thought, he was dead. After he had overcome his shock, he had let the prince in and listened to his incredible story. Robert had also explained why he had come to Alistair, of all people. "You see, there is no one else I can go to."

Alistair had sighed. He actually wanted to have nothing to do with this, but he had no choice. Robert was the rightful heir to the throne. And he was faithful to the crown. So he wrote the letter...

It knocked on the door. _'There she is.'_ Alistair thought, bracing himself for the upcoming encounter. He opened the door. "Hello Helena!" She was beautiful. His Helly… or once his. He wanted to stay firm.

She looked puzzled and anxious, "Alistair, what happened? Why am I here?"

He closed the door behind her and said. "Take a seat at first, you will need it!"

She followed his request while he poured her a drink and handed her the glass.

"There is no easy way to tell you what happened, so I have to show you. Please try to stay calm!" he said.

And in this moment his bedroom door opened and Robert entered the room. "Hello mum!"

At first she thought this had to be some kind of sick joke, but then she looked closer and a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her eyes widened. "Robert!?" She had to take a big gulp of her drink, it just was too much to process. "But how…?" She stood up and took a step forward to him, her hand outstretched, as if she expected that he would vanish into thin air as soon as she tried to touch him.

He smiled and embraced her effusively. After a second, she returned the hug and clung to him like a drowning man. Tears were streaming down her face and she couldn't stop them anymore. In this very moment she was unbelievably happy.

Alistair stood there and watched the scene that took place in his living room. He knew he had done the right thing when he had helped Robert. But it almost broke his heart to see Helena's reaction. He had never realised before how deeply she had taken the loss of her firstborn son about a year ago. Now he was back and all the pain and the grief which she had previously locked away so carefully, tumbled out of her in a surge of irrepressible joy. Perhaps he had wronged her...


	13. Chapter 12: Robert's story

_I want to say thank you for all your reviews, favs and follows. I am very pleased about every single one. :)  
_

 _But as it always is... I have too much other shit to do *sigh*... and I'm a little bit stuck at the moment. I have many ideas, but I want the characters to be as canon as possible. And so I have to think a lot about putting it all together. It will take time. But don't worry,_ _I'll try my best to write more as soon as I can._

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Robert's story**

After they had calmed down a bit, they sat down and Robert told his story while Helena and Alistair listened open-mouthed.

Robert was lucky that he was already near the coast when his flight control stopped responding. All instruments worked fine, but everything he tried was pointless. As if the autopilot had taken over, only that in this case the pilot had the power to intervene. But he couldn't. And the course went straight down. So he did the only thing possible and ejected. Just in time. He landed in the water and the impact was pretty rough. Just like the exit. To use an ejection seat could be bloody painful. In addition, the emergency equipment, including the transmitter, was mysteriously missing but he managed to swim the few miles to the coast where he finally blacked out out of pain and exhaustion. It was a secluded beach with only a few cottages, but it was outside the holiday season and most of them were unoccupied. Except one to be precisely.

To his luck it was rented out to a writer who was suffering from a serious writers block. This man wanted nothing more than a quiet place to sort his thoughts. And so he found Robert on one of his lonely beach walks with his dog. And since the prince was mostly exhausted but not seriously injured (except from some cuts and heavy bruises), the man agreed to remain silent. Under one condition: Robert had to promise him to let him write his biography later, with all the juicy details about his plane crash. It would be a bestseller! Because Robert had come quickly to the conclusion that his crash wasn't an accident and that the military was deeply involved in this matter. He stayed for a few weeks in the writer's cottage. Mostly because the man was desperate to hear some of his delicate royal stories. But also because he had to rest for a while and make a plan first. As Robert had recovered, the man gave him some of his old clothes and a few hundred pounds (Robert promised to pay him back as soon as possible) and dropped him off in the next town. He had grown a messy beard and had badly healed cuts in his face (probably from the sharp rocks offshore, he couldn't quite remember). He looked like a tramp, so no one really paid attention. For the people he was actually dead, and who would suspect a dead prince in a small coastal town?

He managed to find a temp job in the local library (it helped that his boss was extremely short-sighted) where he had to catalogue books and sort them back into the shelves. They didn't pay him much, but it was enough to rent a shabby room and he had much time to think about his next steps. Plus he could use the computer in the library for research. At first he studied the media and it was very painful to see his family grieving for him. Especially Eleanor. She seemed more fucked up than ever. He wanted to go back home, but then his dad got stabbed and that made him suspicious. This couldn't be a simple coincidence. Someone obviously wanted to eliminate the Royal Family. And that also meant, he couldn't trust anyone in the palace. So he decided to save as much money as he could to go back to London and snoop around on his own. His first target was Boone. The investigations confirmed his assumption: his enemies had allies in the palace. After the paternity scandal and Cyrus' reign of terror, he had his uncle under suspicion. But only for a few seconds till he remembered, what a whiny wimp Cyrus was. He would never have the balls to kill his own family. Then Lucius confessed and that was even more implausible. Robert's discovery, that this blonde bodyguard had made further investigations, confirmed it additionally. And he obviously succeeded (Robert had to give him that). It was quite a shock, that it was Ted. Someone who worked for the Royal Family for such a long time. It wasn't only possible, but even probable that there were still more people in the palace who collaborated with the enemy. That's why he finally came to Alistair. Because he knew, that man was devoted to his mother. For other reasons than money and power.

Helena was embarrassed. She thought, she had been very discreet. But obviously not discreet enough. "How did you know?" she asked "And why did you never say anything?"

Robert smiled sadly "You shouldn't underestimate your children, mum. I saw you looking at each other and then figured out, that dad knew about this. And he obviously decided to do nothing on this matter. So I kept my mouth shut."

Helena startled. Simon knew?! All at once everything made sense somehow. The years with him. How he tried in the beginning. And then less and less until they just existed past each other. She felt so guilty. She couldn't help that she had always loved Alistair more than Simon. But that doesn't mean she hadn't loved him at all. She had always cared for him. There even was a time, when she had butterflies in her stomach because of him. But in the end, he wasn't Alistair and she had let him feel it. All the time. That he wasn't enough. That he never would be enough. That she would never really be his. And finally he had given up and withdrew from her. Now he was gone forever. And she had lost Alistair too. It was all her fault. Tears were streaming down her face, she barely noticed. Robert and Alistair looked affected at each other. Neither of them knew what to say.

Alistair felt highly uncomfortable. Only a few days earlier he was trying to move forward and leave it all behind. Leave thirty years behind! He had tried to convince himself, that his once beloved Helena had slowly transformed into a selfish and heartless Queen over all these years. Now he saw her in all her pain. In what predicament she had been all this time. And he knew, he had never been so wrong. He could see the thirty years fall from her and suddenly she was his Helly again. The young, innocent girl, he had fallen in love with so long ago. He didn't know what to do right now, so he left the cottage for a little walk to clear his mind and to give Robert and Helena a bit privacy.


	14. Chapter 13: Letting the cat out

_Little by little, the bird builds its nest. For now: here is the next chapter..._ _ _:-)_ I tried to make it a little bit longer this time.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Letting the cat out of the bag  
**

Of course, Robert couldn't come back to the palace yet. So Alistair had offered to accommodate him for a few days till they had decided where he could stay from now on. Helena couldn't leave until morning. There was so much to talk about and she still feared he could vanish again, once she was gone. But at least she found the strength to return to the palace. There was a lot to do now.

Since it was still very early in the morning and Eleanor and Liam were probably still sleeping, she decided to visit her Head of Security first. She needed help and Hill was the right one for this. He was highly competent, had a lot of experience from his time at Scotland Yard and he proved to be very loyal since his first day at the palace. She trusted him and his judgement, he would be the right man for this job.

"Good morning, Mr. Hill." Helena said, "I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, but it's very important..."

James frowned, because Helena looked so serious and worried. "I was about to drive Sarah to school, but I guess, Mr. Richards could do this for me. She likes him very much."

He made a call and shortly after a tall and po-faced man came in. Helena recognised him as the one, her daughter liked to call "Hagrid". But to her surprise, he smiled broadly as Sarah entered the room.

"Aww, there is my tiny little dolly!" he purred and Helena had never heard him say so much at once.

"Uncle Miles!" Sarah giggled and jumped into his arms and he carried her on one arm and grabbed her school bag with his free hand. Then he nodded at Hill and left with the child.

"So, what can I do for you now?" James said, turning to the Queen.

"What? Eerm..." Helena was still a little surprised about the scene she had just watched. But then she gathered herself and said "Mr. Hill, something very unexpected happened. And I need your utmost discretion."

"Of course!" he nodded.

"Well then..." she said. "As you know, my son Robert was involved in a serious plane crash over a year ago."

Hill raised his eyebrow, but said nothing.

"And..." Helena stammered "and as you know, he died..."

"Yes... it was a tragedy." James frowned, still waiting.

"Well... I don't know, how to say it, but he didn't." she spluttered out.

He looked puzzled. "He didn't... die?"

Helena nodded and now James was wide awake. "What?! Did you just say, Prince Robert is still alive? But how? I thought there was a corpse. Are you sure?"

"Yes," Helena said. "I know it since last night. I saw him, James, I talked to him, I touched him. It's definitely my son! He survived the crash!"

James noticed, she called him by his first name. And he heard the urge in her voice and saw how excited she was. It had to be true.

"He is still hiding. He can't come back to the palace as long as the ones who wanted to kill him are still out there. Nobody must know!" she continued.

James nodded "Where is he now?"

"Alistair Lacey." she said and than added "He is a very old friend. Robert is save there for now, but we have to find a place where he can stay without arousing anyones suspicion. And I have to tell Eleanor and Liam. I'm sure they want to see him as soon as possible."

They talked a lot then and thought about all possibilities and when they finally found something, it was already noon.

* * *

"Len?" Liam knocked at her door. "Are you awake? Mother wants to talk to us. She said it's important."

Eleanor used to sleep till the early afternoon because she always felt exhausted. But lately she woke up earlier. Sleeping next to Jasper was so recreative, she no longer needed so much rest. But she still loved to stay in her bed much longer than necessary. They both did, because they liked the morning sex...

So Eleanor was very relaxed right now and about to complain, when she suddenly remembered that mysterious letter, her mother had received yesterday. And since the Queen was very lenient towards them lately, she suspected it may have something to do with that questionable piece of paper.

So she just exclaimed: "I'm coming, just give me ten!" and went into her bathroom to make her look a little more decent and put on some random clothes. When she had finished, Jasper was also dressed and ready to go.

They arrived at the State Room where Helena and Liam were waiting. The Queen narrowed her eyes at Jasper, then said: "Although it was my plan to speak to my children alone, I think it's okay, if you hear this too, Frost. We might need some of your... skills." She rolled her eyes, "And my daughter wouldn't allow it anyway if I'd try to kick you out. Liam, I think, you should get Marcus too."

When they were finally complete, she continued. "Something's happened last night and it's not easy to tell you. Eleanor, you certainly remember the letter, I received yesterday..."

"From Alistair?" Eleanor said while Liam was visibly wondering, who the heck this mysterious Alistair was.

"Yes." Helena said simply, and to Liam, "He is an old friend of mine and I paid him a visit last night because he said, he had something important to tell me. Well, he showed me, to be precise. There was someone else in his cottage and - I don't know how to say it easily - it was Robert and he is alive."

Jasper took in a sharp breath, but the twins didn't say anything. They just looked stunned.

Marcus spoke up, "You mean... your son, Prince Robert?"

Helena's lips were pressed into a thin line when she nodded.

For a moment it was so quiet in the room that you could have heard a pin drop. Liam's mouth was wide open and the bodyguards just looked at the Queen in disbelief. Eleanor suddenly started to hyperventilate which put Jasper into action. With one large step he was at her side and tried to calm her down by holding her hand and rubbing her back.

"Are you sure?" Marcus asked.

"Yes, no doubt." Helena looked a little bit concerned now.

But Liam regained his composure and started to ask the questions, everyone of them was already brooding over in their heads. "How could he survive this? Where was he the whole time? And who the hell is that guy in his coffin then?"

The Queen did her best to explain everything she knew and Jasper couldn't help but admire the young Prince for his courage.

"So, what's the plan now?" he asked when Helena had finished.

"Of course he can neither stay with Alistair for long, nor can he come back to the palace right now." she said. "So Mr. Hill and I had a conversation this morning and we think, the best place for now is Thatched House Lodge."

"That little house in the outskirts?" Liam asked.

"Yes," Helena said "it belongs to the Crown, it's empty at the moment and a little bit secluded from the residential areas. But still not too far away." She kept quiet about the fact, that she and Alistair had used it as a love nest once in a while. _'Back then...'_

"Hm..." Marcus nodded. "and it has a garden so you can't see much from the road. It's a good choice as long as the Prince stays inside. But he still needs someone for security and food supply."

"I bet there are housekeepers who take care of everything while the house is unoccupied. We could switch them with some of our men, it wouldn't attract too much attention." Jasper said.

And so the bodyguards, the Queen and Liam started to work it all out while Eleanor was still quiet. There was too much in her head right now. She didn't know how to feel. Happy? Anxious? Guilty? Scared? At the moment she could hardly believe what she had just heard.

"I want to see him!" she said suddenly.

"And you will." Helena answered "In a few days when we moved him to Thatched House Lodge. Right now it's too dangerous."

Eleanor wanted to protest, but she knew it was useless. Her mother wouldn't change her mind. But she would find a way on her own.

It was late afternoon and they had finally discussed everything important as the door opened and James came in.

"Your Majesty, your Highnesses..." he nodded in their direction, then addressed Marcus and Jasper: "Gentlemen, there is news. Ted Pryce wants to come clean and we need to go there right now, before he changes his mind. Prince Robert's matter will be the first thing in the morning since it's already too late for today."

James looked at the bodyguards and glanced at Eleanor, then said: "Jeffries, you come with me! I send Richards down here in the meantime... and Frost... you better have an extra eye on the princess tonight." He winked at Jasper and gave him a small object, which immediately disappeared in his pocket, before he left with Marcus.


	15. Chapter 14: Threats and confessions

_I am not quite satisfied with my writing style._ _ _I think, I need a better Thesaurus... and I have no idea, where my time always disappears. O_o But o_ kay, here is the next chapter. :)  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Threats and confessions**

"So, why did you change your mind, Pryce?" James asked. They were sitting opposite each other in a small interrogation room. Marcus and James on one side of the table, Ted on the other with a prison guard in his back standing right beside the locked door and more guards were waiting outside.

"Ophelia." Ted looked pitiful. "She was here a few days ago and told me what happened with one of her guards and what Liam did for her." A single tear ran down his cheek. "I killed his brother and his father! And he... he saved her life! She is all I have and he saved her, risking his own life! He has every right to hate my whole family... but he doesn't. They all don't. They gave Ophelia a new home and now I know, they would do anything to keep her safe. They don't even want a thank-you. But I think the least I can do is to tell you everything I know."

And then he began to tell his story while the evening dawned and the sun was setting slowly in the west.

* * *

"You don't plan to do anything stupid, don't you?" Jasper asked with a grin while she pulled herself into her skintight leather pants.

"No, I plan to make you doing something stupid!" Eleanor teased "Because you're supposed to protect my body, Jaspurr."

"And keep your ass inside the palace." he added and gave her a stern look (but with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes).

"Oh, come on, you plum! It's not that dangerous. Nobody will see us in the dark and you did it before!" she pointed out.

He was quite amused, because he had learned long ago that arguing was pointless when she got something into her mind. Anyway, he'd seen it coming (just like James)... and he was prepared.

"I love you, Len!" he smiled. It was the first time, he said it out loud, directly into her face.

"I know!" she muttered, strutting past him out of the room.

He chuckled... had she just Han-Solo'd him? Unbelievable!

Eleanor, of course, quite noticed what Jasper had just said to her. Her heart still fluttered when she got into the car. And she smiled to herself, when she thought, he wasn't looking.

But Jasper was already back in bodyguard mode. They were taking an inconspicuous car. One of those which were used by the staff for all sorts of errands. Nevertheless he assured himself every few minutes that they wouldn't be followed.

They didn't talk much during the drive. For Jasper it was a sure sign, she was anxious. Who wouldn't in such a situation? He was a little nervous too. His left hand reached out for her and she clung to it till they reached their destination.

* * *

Alistair wasn't surprised as it knocked on his door. Robert had already warned him, that she would come. The Princess... and her bodyguard.

"Your Highness" he bowed slightly, nodded at Jasper and stepped aside so they could enter the cottage.

"Took you long enough, sis!" Robert rose from the sofa and pulled her into a beary hug.

Eleanor wasn't really prepared for this and her emotions boiled over. She laughed, she cried, she shouted and she just couldn't stop to hug and kiss her long-lost brother.

"I'm so sorry!" she finally sobbed. "I was supposed to call you that evening, but instead I had my fucked up ass stoned to the brim."

"It's okay Lenny," Robert smiled, "it wasn't your fault! I know, it wasn't easy for you after leaving college. But I've always known that you love me… Now, tell me, who is your companion?"

Eleanor blushed slightly and glazed at Jasper. "His name is Jasper Frost and he is my bodyguard."

"Hm… and I bet, that's not the whole story." He smirked and threw a warning look at Jasper, who instantly felt slightly uncomfortable.

Alistair cleared his throat and said loudly in Jaspers direction. "Mr. Frost, how about giving them a bit of privacy? Will you join me for a beer in the kitchen?" And without waiting for an answer, he dragged Jasper out of the room.

"So, you too got caught by a Henstridge girl." Alistair noted when they sat at the kitchen table.

Jasper sighed "Is it that obvious?"

"If you have eyes. I saw the looks you gave each other… and I'm sure, Robert saw them too." the older men grinned.

Jasper swallowed "It's a complicated story…"

* * *

"It started over 20 years ago when I was at college. I was in a very prestigious fraternity. Don't ask me how I got in. My memories are incomplete, but we had to do unspeakable things. I did it because I desperately wanted to belong to. Many very powerful people were in this fraternity. They have influence. Being a member can open every door for you. So I have no questions asked. I did, what they told me to do. Till my second year..." Ted cleared his throat and took a sip from his water glass. He looked almost scared when he continued.

"There were new aspirants then and I was one of the members who had to monitor the initiation. And it was much worse than mine. This year, the person in charge was an older fellow member named Thomas Hastings. He was American... and he was sadistic. The hazing activities were extremely brutal and disgusting and the worse it got, the more he enjoyed it. I put a good face on the matter but on the inside I was terrified. And then..."

Ted's voice trembled. "...one of the aspirants died. I don't know how exactly, but I'm sure, Hastings knew. We were so scared of him, that he persuaded us to get rid of the body. We all were already deeply enmeshed in the matter, so we did what he said and kept quiet." Now that he could finally unburden his secret, Ted seemed empty and apathetic.

"Bad story..." Marcus commented. "But what does that have to do with the murder of King Simon?"

Ted sighed. "At the end of the term, I left the college and moved to America to finish my studies far away from all this. I tried to forget and it worked for a while. That's when I met Daphne. We were so happy together. I thought I could leave the past behind me... I didn't know that Hastings always had an eye on me."

He pinched his nose. "About 6 or 7 years ago, I heard he was dead and I thought I was free, but then I received a call. The caller said, he knows what I did and he threatened me. At first I had no idea, who he was, but I found out shortly after. It was Hasting's son Patrick and apparently his father had told him everything. And he said, he had evidence that would be enough to destroy me and my family. I know, the Hastings family was incredibly rich. Thomas had made billions with the production of military drones. I was sure, he had more than enough ways to make his threat real. I was worried about Daphne and Ophelia and so I listened to him. At first, he just wanted me to spy on the Royal Family. He especially wanted to know insignificant personal things, wasn't even interested in politics. I should've been more suspicious, but I preferred to push those thoughts aside."

He chewed on his lower lip as he continued. "Then, 2 years ago, he wanted me to kill the King. At this point I no longer cared what became of me... it haunted me every night in my dreams anyway. Simon trusted me and I couldn't betray him. So I said no. But I finally told Daphne and we decided to send Ophelia to her grandparents in America. We thought, she would be save there. Or at least out of his focus."

"It was about the time when someone tried to shoot King Simon, but hit your wife instead." James noted.

"Yes." Ted said and now tears ran down his face. "But the shooter hadn't missed the target. He shot her on purpose. Hastings wanted to make a point. He wanted to show me of what he was capable. He said, the next time it would be Ophelia. So I had no choice. When he called again, I did what he wanted me to do. I arranged Robert's plane crash. And I killed Simon..."

"But how does this relate to the Stewarts?" Marcus asked.

"I don't know." Ted said. "I thought, Jeffrey was one of Hastings' men, but it seemed, he had his own agenda. Hastings advised me to join forces with the Stewarts later although there was no indication that Stewart knew about Hastings. I'm still brooding over this."

James nodded slightly. "Anything else?"

"That's all I know. But you have to be careful! He has his people everywhere, business, military, politics... I think, he is also responsible for the murder of the former Prime Minister."

* * *

It was two hours before sunrise as Jasper and Alistair finally returned from the kitchen. Robert's face darkened at the sight of Jasper, but he just said: "It's late, Lenny, you should go!"

"He is right." Jasper said softly.

Then he turned to Robert. "Here, take this!" he reached into his pocket and pulled out an iPhone SE. "Hill gave it to me, it can not be traced."

The Prince took it, "Call me, when you're back home, Lenny!", and then gritted his teeth at Jasper "Be nice to my sister or I'll pull off your nose!"

"So you told him, I assume?" Jasper said as they sat back in the car.

"You know, I had to." she said simply and they drove back to the palace in silence, each of them wrapped in their own thoughts.


	16. Chapter 15: Let it go but entirely

_Luna967: Thank you for the continued support! It means a lot to me! :-)  
InsanityGirl: *haha* There you found the answer yourself. She didn't say it back, because she's Eleanor (and we know, she is incredibly stubborn). But eventually she will... I hope. *lol* Maybe I'm too critical with myself. But since English isn't my native language, I ___always_ have the feeling, my phrases are a little worn out. And sometimes I spent a lot of time just looking for alternatives... but if you like it, I'm glad.  
_

 _Sorry for the silly nonsense, but it had to be done... and I think, you won't mind. ;-)  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Let it go... but entirely  
**

They needed the next two days to get Thatched House Lodge ready and arrange Robert's move. Eleanor called him a several times and now it was early Sunday afternoon and she had nothing more to do than to wait for the night, when Robert should change his whereabouts. It was pouring cats and dogs outside and the Princess was really bored, so she and Jasper decided to watch a cop series on her laptop. They sat on her bed, snuggled into a pile of pillows and blankets, ate crisps and watched Jean Reno solving murders (*).

They were already in the second episode and there was a scene in which the co-star, a young police officer, talked to a potential victim and informed her, that she had been filmed during sex. Probably to blackmail her...

Eleanor instantly began to chuckle and poked Jasper into his upper arm. "He looks a lot like you. Don't you think, Jaspurr?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "No. Absolutely not! I look way better!"

"But he is so much nicer than you." Eleanor teased and suddenly had a pillow in her face.

She laughed, set the laptop down on the floor and fought back, throwing at least 3 pillows at once in Jasper's direction. They squabbled for a couple of minutes until Jasper got the upper hand and pressed Eleanor down to the sheets, holding her in place with his body weight. They were breathing heavily but felt so light-hearted as they looked deep into each others eyes.

Her stomach tingled as he snarled: "I'll show you, how nice I can be!" Then he kissed her passionately.

Eleanor wasn't about to complain and responded fiercely while sliding her fingers under his shirt and pulling it over his head. She loved to explore his body with her fingertips. And she knew it made him crazy. He groaned and tugged at her shirt so she had to take it off. But she pulled him back into her arms right away. He kissed her again and his lips made their way from her neck downward to her belly button. She let out a slight moan which encouraged him to go further down and take off her knickers. She squealed with delight and burrowed her hands into his hair to draw him up to her again. Their lips met once more and as she pulled down his boxer briefs, he was instantly inside her...

In Jasper's arms Eleanor felt completely at ease. She could let herself go entirely. She no longer wondered whether she did the right thing or not. She had given up thinking about that for quite a while now. But she was blissfully happy... and that had to count for something too.

* * *

James had made inquiries about the Hastings family. They were, indeed, filthy rich Americans from California and owned several companies, including one that manufactures drones for the military. For the british military too, James noticed. According to his files, Thomas and Georgina Hastings were both deceased, leaving their one and only child Patrick, now 31 years old, single. Both, Thomas and Patrick were well known for a certain aggressiveness and had committed several misconducts. But all accusations were always shot down by their lawyers.

That was the essential. But it was also all he could find. No connections to the Royal Family. Not the smallest motive! It was still a mystery. But Hill was yet waiting for the MI6-Report...

* * *

Robert and Alistair had nothing to do but wait as well. So they passed the time with several drinks and a little gossip, because men too like to tattle from time to time. But as the intoxication rose, the topics of conversation became more personal.

"Damn! What is it with that devious lizard? Why does Lenny let him into her bed over and over again?" Robert slurred.

"You mean that Frost dude?" Alistair babbled. "Because he found the murderer of your father... and yours."

"But I'm still alive, so that counts only once!" the Prince insisted triumphantly. "He did a lot of shit to her to compensate that at least twice! She should kick him to hell, if you ask me! My sister would do this... but maybe this isn't my sister anymore but a reptile doppelganger." For a few seconds he stared at a spot on the wall behind Alistair with a slightly glazed look. Then he shook his head to drive away the fog in his brain. "Eeeh... no, that's bullshit! Apparently she really loves that ferret. I've never seen her looking at someone like this before. Not even at Beck... and I thought, they were made for each other..." he sobbed. "But _HER HIGHNESS_ has her own mind. As if she would know, what's good for her..."

"He loves her! More than anything else in this world." Alistair declared with a heavy tongue.

Robert waved aside "How would you know? You've just met him!"

"He told me. And I saw it in his face." Alistair said with a dreamy expression. "And he is hot!", he added, "I swear, dude almost had me... if I wouldn't be in love with your mother..."

"Ah!" Robert pointed his finger at Alistair, thinking hard, what he just was about to say. "No..." He frowned. Then it came to him again: "Wait! You still love my mother? Then why don't you tell her?"

Alistair felt the effects of the alcohol wore off and sighted. "That's complicated..."

* * *

James and Richards came shortly after midnight to pick him up and drive him over to Thatched House Lodge. Robert and Alistair were still a little jingled and the parting was accordingly tearful.

Robert became excessively emotional: "I will miss you so much, brother!"

"I'll call you, mate!" Alistair snuffled.

They embraced each other as if they had always been best friends for life and Alistair waved after the Prince with his handkerchief. Then Robert was gone and Alistair was alone with his troubled thoughts again... _'Helly...'_

* * *

James had difficulty not to laugh, but Richards' face was as blank as canvas. The drive took a while and Robert was snoring happily in the backseat. As they arrived at Thatched House Lodge, Robert was completely knocked out, so Richards insisted to carry him to his bed by himself. James had no idea how the bodyguard could manage to easily bear away the 180-pound Prince, but Richards did it straight-faced. He placed Robert carefully on the soft sheets, took off his shoes and tucked him gently. Then, pleased with himself, he took his post outside the door and remained there in bodyguard mode.

James nodded to him and briefed the other two guards (two of his best men he had checked through from top to bottom more than once). Finally he left to return to the palace and to Sarah.

Back in his office, he checked his messages one last time before going to bed and found the MI6 report about the Hastings family. Nothing too surprising. Apparently Patrick was not the biological child, but adopted at a very young age. Georginas cause of death was unclear, Thomas died of a heart attack. That left Patrick as sole heir of a several billion assets.

* * *

As Liams phone buzzed at 4 in the morning, he assumed it was Robert. After Lenny's nightly excursion he had insisted to see his brother too... at least briefly. But there was still a lot to talk and Robert had probably just reached his new domicile.

The more astonished he was when he saw who the sender of the message was. He knew this number although he hadn't seen it for a while now.

 _'Liam, I need to talk to you. It's urgent. Please! I'll wait at the Hyde Park exit.'_

* * *

 _PS: *_ _If you don't know yet, the cop series is called "_ _Jo". Watch it! ;-)_


	17. Chapter 16: A new puzzle piece

_Thank you for all your kind reviews. I promise, I will finish this story (as long as I don't get killed in a car accident or some shit like that). I don't know, how long it will take, but I try to update regularly._

 _Queen: You will get it, but it will take it's time. :)  
MissieK: Not Ophelia, but you will know in a minute. ;)  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 16: A new puzzle piece  
**

Liam was too surprised and too curious to ignore the message. So he slipped into his clothes and sneaked off through the tunnels. Since Marcus slept in his own bed and not in Liam's (like Jasper slept in Eleanor's and had an eye on her 24/7) he just told his night detail, he wanted to go to the kitchen to drink a glass of milk. The bodyguard accepted the explanation without the slightest suspicion. The poor bloke would receive a telling-off from James tomorrow. (But Liam would prevent his dismissal.)

"I didn't expect to see you ever again." he said astonished while opening the gate to the tunnel to let her enter. "I thought, you were... where the fuck were you actually?"

"That's a long story..." she said. "I'll tell you everything, but my throat is bone-dry. I need some water first, please."

Liam took her to the staff kitchen and gave her a glass of water. In the electric light he looked at her more closely. Her appearance was grubby and slightly ragged. And she was visibly thinner than usually. "You look awful. When was the last time, you ate something?"

She thought for a moment "Two days ago, I think. I raided a strawberry field."

So Liam, the King of England, took a few eggs and some bacon out of the fridge and began to cook breakfast for her. When he was finished he added beans, tomato slices, chives and freshly made toast and passed the plate to her "What happened to you, Dominique?"

She dug into her eggs and began to speak: "Shortly before the Queens Cup, my father and I precipitately moved to Wales in the middle of the night. At this time he thought, his plan would work and nobody would associate him with the events if he wasn't even close to the stadium. But just as we saw the broadcast on tv, he got a call. He was totally distressed afterwards, but didn't explain anything to me. He wouldn't let me out of sight anymore but a few days later I had a desperate need for chocolate, so I sneaked out and went to the little grocery store down the road. I thought 'What could happen on that short way? I'm back in 15 minutes.' And besides, my father was always a little too paranoid so I have not taken him too serious. I was so fucking stupid!" she lowered her eyes. "On the way back someone put a bag over my head from behind and dragged me away. I tried to yell for help, but I lost consciousness almost instantly. I think the bag was impregnated with something."

Liam, who had just put up the kettle, was shocked. "Oh my god!"

"I was so scared." she continued. "But apart from the kidnapping, they didn't hurt me. I thought, they did it to threat my father, but he was arrested two days later and they kept me nonetheless. I didn't know, where I was then. It was just a random house in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't allowed to leave the house alone, but apart from that I was free to do whatever I wanted. They were actually pretty nice to me. They brought me my favourite food (not that I would've had a big appetite) and even carbons and a sketchbook to keep me entertained. I was allowed to watch telly too and so I learned that my father was in prison."

Liam passed her one of the two tea cups he'd just prepared "So they just kept you and didn't want anything?"

"Yes," she nodded "I didn't understand at first, but after a couple of days, a man came and talked to me. He had an American accent, but he said, he was part of the family and that we were on the same side. And I should join him to destroy the Royal Family. I had no intention to do so, but I said I had to think about it. He seemed very ill-natured and I didn't want to provoke him. He scared me in a way I can't describe. I think, he was completely insane."

Liam noticed that she still looked hungry. So he opened the fridge and took out the cream pie which was probably made for some reception later this day. He grabbed a pastry fork and placed it before her. The culinary staff would make a new one in the morning. They were used to it, because Eleanor nicked the pie quite often. Sometimes, Liam assumed, they made it especially for her without any forthcoming event. And put it into the fridge, so she could swipe it from there.

Dominique gave him a thankful look "He never said his name, but he came back occasionally and I realised, he probably wouldn't let me go, if I said no. So I played along for a while not knowing how to get out of this. Till that late afternoon two weeks ago. My guards were inattentive while watching a rugby game on tv and I could escape. I tried to hide and stay away from the bigger towns. I slept in the woods or sometimes in an old barn. I had no money, so I stole food from the fields and greenhouses and some clothes and a blanket from a washing line. I'm not proud of it, but this way I managed to stay undiscovered. I tried to walk back to London because hitchhiking seemed too dangerous. But eventually I found a train station and an unguarded freight car and so I hid in it and made my way here... and I felt, I had to tell you what happened. Because this man is very dangerous and I think, he was the one that gave Pryce his orders. You all are still in danger!"

Liam looked serious "Are you willing to tell your story again to our head of security?"

Dominique agreed but politely asked for a shower first, because she felt filthy from living outside for so long. Liam gave her some of his clothes and full and freshly washed she felt so much better. It was about 7 am when they sat in James' office. Violet and Ophelia, who had made friends with each other, had offered to take Sarah to school today. So James had time to listen to Dominiques story.

She had to tell some parts again as Jasper and Marcus arrived. James asked her to describe the mysterious man who had introduced himself as family member. She fished a crumbled drawing from her pocket and James instantly recognised Patrick Hastings. He showed her a photo from his file to make sure. Dominique became pale and said quietly: "Yes, this is the man."

After the long questioning, she was exhausted and they decided to accommodate her at a nearby hotel and gave her a guard to make sure, she was safe for now. She slept for 3 days straight.

Now James, Jasper and Marcus had a new clue. They had to find out, what the Hastings' had to do with the Stewarts and if they were related, how. In addition James remembered in the back of his mind, that Patrick Hastings was adopted, so he also followed this track by setting a Secret Service agent on the adoption case to find out more.


	18. Chapter 17: Digging in the depths

__Sorry, I had to recherche a bit more for this one (because I wanted a real location). And_ I just caught a nasty cold... again. -_- My head feels like it's full of putty at the moment, so this might be a bit confusing. But knoweth: I hath tried.  
_

 _Now let's have a little bit of Virus for a starter... *lol*_

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Digging in the depths of the past**

Since Violet's return Cyrus' condition had clearly improved. He took the chemotherapy very well and fought like a lion. Of course he was exhausted from the treatment, but his (now bald) head was full of new surprising goals.

"I will not lose my second ball too, Violet. You'll see! And for the worst case, I have some of my sperms cryopreservated. We could still start a family!"

Violet smiled. She loved Cyrus and somehow she liked the thought of having children and settle down with him.

"We could go to America if you want. Away from all this chaotic mess here." he offered. "If you want to. There are good colleges too. Not like that overpriced hippie school where my nutty daughters go. I think of Harvard or Princeton."

Violet did not want to brake his enthusiasm, but she knew, this would still become a long way. But for now his dreams kept him going. "That sounds wonderful, honey." she smiled. "But at first you have to eat your turnips and drink your pomegranate juice. I thought, we could eat in the dining room today with the rest of the family."

He wasn't particularly enthusiastically to meet Helena, but he knew, Violet was a family person and he wanted to prove to her that he was too. So he simply agreed and let her led him there.

* * *

The family tree of the Stewarts was flawless. Not one American or a family member who had emigrated to America in the last 500 years. All fine British nobility and even a connection by marriage to the Royal Family by Charlotte Stewart, a cousin of a direct forefather from Jeffrey Stewart in the 18th century. But not the slightest connection with the Hastings family.

So James approached the problem of the other side: Patrick Aled Hastings, born 14th of February, 1985 in Bethlehem, Connecticut. Mother Jane Doe. Adopted February 18th, 1985 in Hartford by Thomas and Georgina Hastings, resident in Newport Beach, California.

The birth certificate was made on February 18th too and had been antedated. The birth was testified by a nun of the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut. Sister Mary. Of course! Of course it had to be Mary, probably the most common nun's name in the whole world!

James had asked Jasper, Marcus and Richards whether they could manage 2 or 3 days without him, so he could fly to Connecticut to find the nun himself. Sarah surely would love to stay with Nick and Ophelia for a few days. He would take the first flight in the morning.

* * *

Liam was with Robert tonight, so Eleanor decided to keep her mother company at dinner. Of course she brought Jasper, they were inseparable by now. She was surprised to see Cyrus and Violet too, but lately he wasn't such a pain in the ass anymore, so she just shrugged and ate her dinner. There was a delicious gilthead seabream.

"Yale!" Cyrus suddenly said.

"What?" Eleanor asked irritated.

"It's a phantastic university!" Cyrus babbled excited. "Weren't you there too for a year or so, Helena?"

The addressed one looked confused.

"Oh no!" Cyrus blabbed blithely "It was before you! It was Simon's ex, that Stewart horse-girl. What was her name again, Dominique? I remember! She was in Yale while Simon was in the Royal Air Force! Dramatic long-distance relationship, they couldn't see each other for a whole year, letters and phone calls only! Heartbreaking!" (From Cyrus' mouth it sounded anything but heartbreaking.)

A loud clatter disturbed the conversation. Jasper had suddenly dropped his knife on the plate and became pale.

"Excuse me..." he murmured and stormed out of the room.

Helena and Eleanor followed him with their eyes, while Cyrus continued merrily. "Yes, Yale is a good one. They have a wonderful golf course too... I could work on my handicap."

Of couse, Jasper's way led him hotfoot into James' office. According to her file Dominique Stewart had spent the fall term in 1984 and the spring term in 1985 in Yale. This was too good, to be just a coincidence. James' suspicion substantiated. He remained with his plan, to fly over for a few days. The chances stood good that he would find the needed proof.

* * *

In comparison to London, Bethlehem Connecticut was a sleepy little backwater. The convent lay about 2 miles away from the town centre and was surrounded by beautiful woods and meadows. The Abbey owned 450 acres of land, which was partly cultivated by the nuns. They bred cattle and grew fruit and vegetables. It was a nice little place on earth. James felt immediately peaceful. But he had no time to rest and enjoy the country air, so his way led him instantly to the office.

"1985 you said?" the nun in charge was browsing through a pile of documents. Then she seemed to found something. "Here we have it. Mother Jane Doe, the babies name is blank, but it was a boy and this was the only birth in February 1985. Withnesses: Sister Mary, Mother Flavia and Novice Patricia. Well... sadly, Mother Flavia is now in the arms of the Lord and Novice Patricia had left us almost 20 years ago for another convent in Bolivia. I think, she is still there. But Sister Mary, Mother Superior now, is still with us. You might find her in the vegetable gardens behind the house."

James walked over to the vegetable gardens, where several nuns looked after the plants. He asked the first one which of them was Mary and she indicated at a bank in the shade of an old elm tree.

"Mother Surperior Mary?" James asked.

"The very one." the old nun said and turned her face in his direction. Her eyes were grey and milky. She was blind.

He sat down to her and asked her about the 14th of February, 1985.

"Oh, I remember this girl." she said. "Very well even. I could still see very good at that time. She was so incredibly sad and scared. She had wonderful brown hair and an english accent. And her baby boy was gorgeous! Chubby and healthy. So sad, she didn't want to keep him. She said, she couldn't and nobody knew about her pregnancy. Not even her parents and her little brother. She was so young and so desperate. Poor girl. So we kept the boy and found him a good family. I think, it was a very rich married couple from California who also had a country estate in Hartford..."

"Do you know more about the girl? She hasn't mentioned her real name by chance?" James asked. He had a photo of Dominique in his pocket, but he couldn't show it to the nun, because she was blind.

"No..." Mary thought hard. "But she wore one of these necklaces with a letter on it. I think, it was a D. And, I believe, she put an embroidered handkerchief into the boys basket, before she gave him away."

"Have you seen the embroidery?" James wanted to know.

"Only briefly. I believe, it was a sort of crest..." Mary didn't know more. "Do you know, what became of her? The girl."

James thought. Everything seemed to point to the fact that it was indeed Dominique who was here at that time to give birth to the child. "She died in a riding accident."

"How sad." Mary said and held her nose into the wind. "Do you smell that? The tomatos are almost ripe!"

James was a bit frustrated. More clues, but no clear evidence. In his time with Scotland yard, he had learnt to check everything most thoroughly and to accept only hard facts as given. To make sure he however asked for Patricia's address in Bolivia. He would write her a letter with Dominique's photo attached, even if this would take longer.


	19. Chapter 18: The lion's wrath

_I noticed that I like to play with reality by inserting real locations and people into my stories... *lol*  
_

 _Luna967: Your wish is my command (but this scene was long overdue)._  
 _Juliet: One clue: it's not Hastings'. When she came to America, she was already 3 months pregnant (and it started to show ^^)._

* * *

 **Chapter 18: The lion's wrath**

"I read the celebrity news today." Robert said with a smug grin while he lolled around on his sofa in the Thatched House Lodge living room. "Beck is back home!"

He looked at Eleanor expectantly, who just shrugged. "Do you want to contact him? Do you think, it's a good idea to let him know already? Do you think, it's safe? There are already too many people who know you're still alive..."

"No!" he shouted frustrated. "YOU should contact him, Len!"

"Why?" she looked puzzled. "Do you want me to tell him, you're still alive? It certainly spares his nerves if he hears it from a third person. But I don't think, I'm the best choice for this. I mean, after..."

"Eleanor!" he snarled. "That man is in love with you and I know, you love him too!"

Jasper was sitting next to Eleanor on a chair and felt suddenly left out and increasingly uncomfortable. He had feared this particular situation for quite a while now.

"Stop it, Robert!" Eleanor snorted. "I told you, I don't want Beck! I'm with Jasper now! You can't change that. And don't even try, because I won't let you!"

Robert squinted and looked in Jaspers direction "But he is a liar, a thief, a blackmailer and... and an asshole! I should throw him into prison!"

Eleanor became angry. She got up and supported herself with her hands on the table. "I haven't told you this, so that you can attack him. I just wanted to be honest and tell you, before..."

Jasper cleared his throat, interrupting Eleanor. He looked Robert directly into his piercing green eyes, which looked so much like Eleanor's. He swallowed. "You are absolutely right! I lied to her, I blackmailed her and I tried to steal from her. I'm an asshole and a piece of shit. I don't deserve her. And yet I swear to you, I love her like no one else ever and I would give my life just to make her smile! You can try to put me in prison, you can beat me up, you can bribe me with all your money. As long as I still breathe, I will never ever leave her again!"

"But she does not love you!" Robert was miffed. "I know my sister. You are just her current boy-toy! She will be bored by you soon."

"You don't know anything, Robert! I DO love him! More than anyone else. Ever! More than my life! And I swear to you, I would never forgive you if you beat him up or put him in prison. I love Jasper, so deal with it! Because I will NEVER change my mind!" Eleanor stated furiously and reached for Jasper's hand. "I think, we will go now!"

She dragged him out of the room, leaving a pissed Robert behind, who hissed something like: "I'm watching you, con-man!" And then they heard a loud bang which indicated that Robert had hit the table with his fist. But Eleanor didn't look back.

Back in the car Jasper was too agitated to drive off immediately. He took a deep breath and turned to Eleanor. "Did you mean it? What you... what you just said?"

"Every word!" She sounded determined and a little angry, but her green eyes were soft.

"But your brother is right." he said wearily "I AM a piece of shit. You deserve better... maybe you should..."

"Jasper!" she grabbed his face with both hands and looked directly into his shining blue eyes. "Now listen to me! Even if you are a piece of shit, which I doubt. You are MY piece of shit! And I am THE princess! Nobody will take you away from me. And nobody will tell me what I have to feel. Not even you. I love you, Jasper! With all my heart. And I will not let anyone or anything come between us! I will fight for you if I have to. I will..."

She didn't come further, because Jasper's lips were already on hers. And while he pulled her closer and put all his love and passion in this kiss, a single tear ran down his cheek.

* * *

Since he was already in Connecticut, James decided to pay the campus a visit too. Maybe he could find some more evidence there. The dean was not very helpful. He knew nothing about a girl named Dominique Stewart, who should have been here in the 80s. James had feared this. Apparently Dominique hadn't used her real name.

There was only one thing to do. He sat down in the library and dug in old annals and issues of the college newspaper. It took him several hours to look through the material, but the efford paid off. There she was... the picture was a little blurred and she just embraced a blonde girl, so he couldn't see her abdomen, but it definitely was her face under a pair of bunny ears. He read the caption: 'Dominique Wendwater and Carol Armstrong, Halloween 1984'. Wendwater? He could have known this. It was her mothers maiden name. But what held his attention caught was the other girl. Carol Armstrong, he should try to find her. According to the picture, the girls were close. She could know something. He went back to the dean, maybe he could give some information where she was now.

The dean chuckled. "You are lucky, Mr. Hill. I know this 'girl' very well. Although she changed university after the spring term 1985 and made her Ph.D. in Princeton, she eventually came back to us and is a professor for art history now. I think, at this time you will find her in her office over there in Loria Center."

James couldn't believe his luck and visited professor Armstrong immediately. Her office was stuffed with books, art reproductions and photo equipment. She was a stocky woman with a worn out face, lively blue eyes and a friendly smile.

"Oh yes, Mr. Hill!" her voice was hoarse "I remember Dominique. We were good friends back then..."

"Do you know, if she was pregnant?" James asked.

Professor Armstrong smiled sadly. "She hid it very well. Was wearing loose dresses, you know. Everyone thought, she was just... well, fat. But I knew better. Of course, I noticed. We were roommates for a while. But I promised her not to tell anyone and I kept that promise."

James wanted to know more "Do you know, what happened to the baby? She hasn't mentioned who the father was by any chance?"

"She refused to talk about the father. She became very angry when I asked, so I avoided the subject in the future. But I knew what happened to the baby." she said with a silent pain in her face. "When the first labour pains began, she begged me to drive her to that convent in Bethlehem. I anticipated what she planned, but I did it nevertheless. I just left her there, because she didn't want me to stay. She was very determined about that. I have reproached to myself for years. I should have stayed, I should have talked more to her. Maybe she would have kept the child. But she gave it away. She just left it in that monastery. She went back to England eventually, but I couldn't get over it. I had an acceptance letter from Princeton, so I left Yale when the term was over. I needed distance. After my Ph.D. I even went to Berkeley for a while. But finally art has led me to the east coast again."

"I think, you could have done nothing to change her mind." James stated quietly.

He said goodbye to professor Armstrong. Now he knew everything. Well, almost everything. He knew, that Patrick Hastings was Dominique Stewart's son (and therefore the younger Dominique's cousin). But he still didn't know, who was Hastings' biological father. And it made him slowly nervous.


	20. Chapter 19: If music be the food of love

_The story is slowly heading towards its end now, but I'm still a bit undecided about how to close it. T_ _here are multiple possibilities and I have to think about it for a while. So please be patient! Go outside and enjoy the nice weather in the meantime_ _ _(I hope, it is nice where you live)_. I will be back, when I'm done with thinking. ^^  
_

 _Luna967: Thank you so much! Your reviews are always so kind. :D  
JulietLovesStories: Let's just see what happens next. ;)  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 19: If music be the food of love, play on  
**

Eleanor was still surprised about her recent confessions. She usually didn't talk about her feelings because it made her vulnerable. But this time, she wasn't afraid about herself. Instead she was afraid about Jasper. She suddenly felt the urge, to protect him at all costs. She knew how her older brother could be when he had a grudge against someone. Much worse than she could be herself! She had no doubt that Robert would have tried to lock him up again. So she had to made a point. She knew, Robbie wouldn't give up so soon and would bring the subject up again in the future. But he wouldn't dare to seriously fight with her, because he loved his sister too much. And eventually he would learn to accept her love for Jasper. He had to, because she wouldn't negotiate on this subject.

Jasper was surprised too. He always knew she loved him, even though he did not deserve it. But to hear it from her mouth, in this situation, had caused a warm feeling in his chest. And it was much stronger than everything he felt before. The only thing he wanted to do for the rest of his life, was to hold her in his arms and never let go. And as soon as they reached her room again, he started to do exactly this...

* * *

"Hi mom! Have you seen Lenny, she doesn't answer my calls." Robert greeted Helena who just came through the door of the Thatched House Lodge living room.

His mother sighed "She is fine, but she doesn't want to talk to you at the moment. She told me what happened on her last visit and I think, she's a bit mad at you right now. You can't blame her."

"But seriousely, mom! Why did you let her be together with this... prick? He's a criminal and belongs to prison! And he is American. AND the help! You hate it when your children get involved with the help!" Robert was still upset.

"Robert, you don't understand. You haven't seen it." she said. "I think, he was as broken and messed up as your sister, when he came to the palace. You didn't know how she was. She always had something self-destructive, but it got a lot worse when we thought we had lost you. She was devastated! She kept no bodyguard longer than a few weeks before, but then he came and somehow he broke through to her. Even if his intentions were sleazy at the beginning and even if he used questionable methods, I could see it. Not only on her, on him too. Before they even noticed it themselves. He was as lost as she was and yet somehow they had found hold in each other. But none of them knew how to deal with this and I was afraid she would get hurt. I underestimated the situation completely... and that's why I messed up on them."

"Yeah, I heard..." He snorted contemptuously. "You coundn't stop yourself from screwing him up! Is he really THAT good?"

"I forced him and that was by far my greatest mistake." she sounded remorseful. "I should have reacted differently, but I hadn't realised how hard they had fallen for each other. I thought, this would be the easiest solution, but... I hurt them both so much, Robbie. And I had misjudged him so badly. He was determined to make it up to her, he never gave up. He changed completely for her. He did everything he could. He endangered himself for her. He followed her around the world, just to keep her safe, you know? For months! He tried so hard, but she was so deeply hurt, she couldn't forgive him. Well, no one could blame her, but she suffered from this as much as he did. And it was all my fault. I thought, the time would heal the wounds and they could find their way back to each other. But then Samantha Cook came and screwed it up completely."

"But she was his partner, they came to steal the Koh-I-Noor. It was HIS idea!" Robert insisted.

"That was before, Robert. I told you, he changed. Dramatically! He had given up the plan long ago. That's why he stood up against Miss Cook. Even at the risk to go back to prison for the rest of his life. But the damage was done. Eleanor was more hurt than ever. It would have never come so far if I had not interfered. I'm sure he would have confessed to her earlier if she only would have listened to him. I tried to talk to her, but she was so disillusioned. You know, she can hold a grudge forever. Even and especially if she can hurt herself with it." Helena still felt guilty.

"What changed her mind then?" he asked.

"I don't know exactly. Maybe my words weren't completely lost. And Mr. Frost finally found your father's murderer. He did it for her. And I think she realised it in the end. And then there was your brother. Liam had made friends with him while he was his bodyguard."

"But why? Why he stuck and still sticks by this ferret? Liam knew about the Koh-i-Noor too!" Robert revolted.

"Yes, but he still trusted him, because in the end Jasper Frost had proofed to be loyal. He found the evidence and made sure, Ted Pryce was caught. In addition Liam knew how he felt about your sister. And, even if he is a little slow-witted sometimes, he has also noticed how much he means to Eleanor. I'm so glad, he begged him to stay. Your sister would still be heartbroken if he hadn't. You should really trust your siblings' judgement on this, Robert! Especially Eleanor's. If you like it or not, she is mature enough to make her own decisions now. She has forgiven him... and you know how tough-minded she can be... for much trivial reasons. This alone should be enough for you to see how strong her feelings are for him. So believe me, when I tell you: against all odds, they are made for each other. They are two halves of the same soul!"

"But I thought, Beck..." he muttered stubbornly.

"Beck could never give her what she needed. He is a nice guy and he is easy and somehow she still loves him, but that is nothing compared to her feelings for Jasper. She would go to the end of the world for him. And he would do the same for her. You have to accept it, Robert! You will see, he is the right one for your sister. He will make her happy, I'm sure. And so is Liam."

"So he is basically Superman, huh? I can't believe it!" Robert said hesitating "But Alistair had also said something like that... btw... what happened between the two of you?"


	21. Chapter 20: Little distractions

_It took me a while to write this chapter. First I had to think about it a lot (because it's part of the preparation for the showdown), second there was another bereavement in my family, third it was really fucking hot here and I could barely move without sweating like an ox, fourth my laptop had his quirks (I'm just writing this on my tablet) and fifth I was really sad and shocked about the Brexit votes (and of course all the other bad news recently)._

 _But no excuses! I promised, I will finish the story, so here we go with the next part._

 _Btw.: Although I had imagined him a little different, I think, Max Brown is a great casting choice for Robert. I can't wait to see the new episodes. And I hope, we will get a lot more seasons of "The Royals" in the future._

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Little distractions**

James had finished his search and returned home to inform the others of what he had found out.

"... We have enough evidence to arrest Hastings for a long time. MI5 and MI6 are already on his trail. We will find him! He will not be able to hide for long." he closed his explanations.

"So we know, that this Patrick Hastings is definitely Dominique Stewart's son?" Liam asked with disbelief.

"Yes," James said "but we still don't know who his biological father is... which might or might not be an indication on his motives. For all we know, it could be very well your father. They already were together at this time. Maybe Hastings thinks, he is the rightful heir to the throne."

"But dad never mentioned anything like that. And neither did mother or, for fucks sake, grandma." Eleanor said. "At least one of them should have known."

"I assume nobody knew." Robert's voice came from the phone speaker. "Not even dad. He was in the Royal Air Force at that time and hadn't seen her for almost a year."

Eleanor sighed "But we don't know it for sure. It could have been some other guy." The idea, that Hastings could be somehow related to her or even be her brother, frightened her.

"We will find out when we catch him." Marcus noted. "Just get him tested."

But Jasper sensed Eleanor's discomfort and couldn't just wait and see. "We could interrogate Jeffrey once again." he suggested "He was close with his sister, so maybe he noticed something or someone."

"Your turn then, Frost!" James said.

When they all left, Eleanor was still sitting on James's couch, playing nervously with her new bracelet. Jasper had given it to her a few days ago. It was a broad decorated leather band with a huge silver heart pendant which had a little heart shaped sapphire embedded. A bit chunky for her usual taste, but somehow she found it beautiful for its simple elegance. And she had gotten it from HIM, which was the most important part about it. Plus he seemed so serious when he gave it to her, so she really wanted to wear it. Now she liked the weight of the pendant on her arm. It gave her the feeling, that he was always with her somehow. Well, mostly he - indeed - was...

"Do you have something else on your mind, your Highness?" James asked and interrupted her thoughts.

She sighed "No, James, nothing else... it's just. Could this monster really be our brother? I mean, dad was wonderful and from what I heard, Dominique Stewart was a nice girl too. How can their child be such a terrible person?"

"Well, we still don't know that. It's still very possible he's not your brother." James said and gave her a concerned look. "You need to calm down a bit. Don't make yourself crazy! You need a distraction!"

"But you just sent Jasper away..." Eleanor grumbled.

James smiled "I think, I might have something else for you in the meantime..."

* * *

Jasper didn't know what exactly he had expected. It was over 30 years ago and Jeffrey Stewart was a kid of about 7 years back then. Of course he couldn't remember. His sister was beautiful, smart and aristocratic. Of course she had heaps of admirers. But it seems, she had only eyes for Simon since they met for the first time. Everything looked as if Simon really was the only one who could be considered for paternity.

But Jasper had his doubts. He knew, Eleanor would be heartbroken, if this motherfucker really was her brother. Even for her, he hoped it wasn't true. But this was not the only reason. If it was really Simon's, why should she give it away? Yes, the times were different then and a child before marriage would have been a scandal. The people would have badmouthed for years! But then she was his mother and a mother's love is a strong bond. Not that he knew this from his own experience. His mother was a money-grubbing bitch, the only thing she loved was bling-bling. But he hadn't lived in a bubble either. He had seen more than once, what other mothers did for their children. Everything! He had often been jealous of other kids. And that was the main reason, why he thought, there was something fishy about the whole story. Dominique Stewart doesn't seem to be the type who gives away her child lightheartedly. He had to make further investigations.

* * *

When Jasper came back to Eleanor's room, he found her lying on her bed over a copy of "Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death". It was an unusual sight. Jasper himself was an avid reader. Even as a little boy he had devoured adventure novels. Treasure Island. White Fang. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. He loved this way to escape reality and he wanted to share it with her. But all attempts to persuade her to even look at a book, had so far failed. So he almost thought he had made a mistake in the room when he saw her like this.

"You read a book?" he mocked rising his left eyebrow. "That's a first..."

She grumbled but kept her gaze on the pages "Yes, I got it from James, it's one of his favourites. He wants me to calm down a bit and he says, reading is the best relaxation. Can you believe it, there is a character named Guy. That's not even a proper name! Couldn't his parents think of a real one?" She snorted "Guy... why not Dude or Bloke? Or... yes... GuyBRUSH! Guybrush Threepwood! Ridiculous! I bet, his sister's name is Lady or Missy. Tss..."

"How is it?" Jasper grinned.

"It's fantastic! I didn't know, reading could be this entertaining." Eleanor bubbled ignoring Jaspers 'I-told-you-so' expression. "There is this vicar, Sidney, who solves crimes. And he is in love with Amanda, a friend of his sister, and she loves him too, but they both claim to be 'just friends' because of their class distinction. Amanda is from a rich family, you know, and he is just a poor vicar. And then she's almost engaged with this rich but stupid Guy-guy... and in addition there is this German widow named Hildegard who seems to like Sidney..."

Jasper listened to her in fascination. He had rarely seen her this enthusiastic about something, let alone a book. Maybe it was the enbedded love story between Amanda and Sidney which had a few parallels to their own situation. It didn't matter. He had this warm feeling in his chest again. So he just took off his jacket, gun and shoes and lay down beside her to watch her dreamily while she talked about the book. Soon they were both dozed off lying arm in arm...

* * *

The next day wasn't very eventful, so Eleanor finished the book from James (to her delight, Amanda had ditched that Guy bloke pretty fast) and considered starting with the second volume of the Grantchester novels, when her phone buzzed. It was a message from Imogen who was suggesting a girls afternoon... lunch, shopping, maybe a manicure. 'Sounds good.' Eleanor texted back and agreed to meet her at St. James's tomorrow at 1 pm. Liam had told her a few weeks ago that Imogen and Holden were dating now, and Eleanor wanted to know every little detail about it. Besides, Jasper would have a meeting with MI5 tomorrow anyway. She could need a little light distraction and what is better than some fun with a good old friend? So she looked forward to the girls day...

* * *

 _Maybe you already guessed it, but I have recently watched "Grantchester" (Tom with a full Santa Claus in the second season, hilarious!) and now I'm reading the books which are different, but pretty good. I highly recommend both, the show and the books. :)_


	22. Chapter 21: But be the serpent under it

_I think, it's about time for a little action.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 21: But be the serpent under it  
**

Eleanor was annoyed. Of course Jasper wouldn't let her go alone. But since he couldn't guard her body himself, he had sent Johnson to watch over her. He was a boring guy, humorless, taciturn and about the size of a closet. And he clung to her heels in at most 5 feet distance.

To Eleanor's amusement Imogen had texted that she couldn't come to the little restaurant where they wanted to meet in the first place, because she stuck in an expensive boutique's changing room. She had wanted to try an indecent tiny dress and now couldn't take it off alone. The zipper was jammed and she was too embarrassed to tell the saleslady. She desperately needed Eleanor's help.

The Princess couldn't believe that Johnson actually made a move to follow her in the changing room.

"Stay here!" she barked "There is a naked girl in there, have you no decency?"

Then she pushed him aside and walked over to the changing rooms to rescue her friend.

The three individual cubicles were located in a larger room, which was separated by a door from the rest of the store. On the opposite of the little room was another door that, Eleanor suspected, probably led into the storage rooms.

"Imogen?" she called "Are you here?"

A muffled groan was the only answer. But under the curtain of one of the cubicles she could see a woman's feet stick out.

Carefully she began to push aside the curtain. "Is everything okay? Imogen?"

Suddenly she heard a noise behind her, but she couldn't turn around anymore, because someone put a bag over her head. Just as she decided, that it was time to scream for her security detail, she lost consciousness.

* * *

Jasper was alarmed and on his way back to the Palace. According to MI5 Hastings was already in England for quite a while (at least he hadn't left the country on official ways). And to his horror, there were recordings of surveillance cameras in London, where a man was seen, that looked very similar to Hastings.

He took his phone and dialed Eleanor's number but she didn't answer. He tried several times but without success. Finally he called Johnson who was already a nervous wreck and babbled a lot of cryptical stuff. The Princess had disappeared was everything he could get out of him.

When he arrived at James's office they had already tracked her phone which was then found in a dustbin near St. James's… surprisingly along with Imogen's phone.

The Palace was already on alert. Liam tried feverishly to reach Imogen over Holden to ask her if she knew anything. The security staff was busy to evaluate the material of the surveillance cameras around the boutique. But that took all too long.

His Princess was in danger and he cursed himself that he had let her go without him. He had to do something and he knew exactly what. He wouldn't be Jasper Fucking Frost, if he had no emergency plan. Hopefully it would work.

* * *

When she regained consciousness, she found herself in a small room. She looked around. The room was nicely decorated and the afternoon sun was shining through the half-open curtains. She was lying on a bed that felt way too comfortable. Her skull growled and she was desperate for a nap to cure her dizziness. But then she remembered and the alarm drove away her weariness.

She got up. Her high heels were standing neatly beside the bed. She looked around. There were 2 doors and a large window. She tried the first door. Locked. Behind the second door she found a small bathroom. She looked out the window. It couldn't be opened, but she could see that she was on the second floor and the building was apparently located in a kind of small park. She saw trees and bushes, a little moat-like pond with a rickety wooden bridge, a neglected tennis court and some fields and meadows in the distance, nothing else. She began to search the cabinets and found a few towels and some simple garments. T-shirts, jeans, cotton underwear, nothing special. Most of them she would never wear under normal circumstances. But her eyes fell on a pair of trainers and she decided that these were more appropriate for the situation than her heavenly Charlotte Olympia heels (sooo stylish, but sadly impractical). So she put them on and pondered how she could get out of this situation as soon as possible.

* * *

"Hello my dear brother! Finally someone answers the phone. Do you know what's with Eleanor? She ignored my calls the whole day. Did I say something wrong again?" Robert's carefree voice came from the speaker and Liam immediately regretted to have answered the call.

"Hey Robert! Well no, you know… she is… Eleanor is…" He sighed, he knew he couldn't fool his brother. "It seems someone had kidnapped her."

"WHAT?!" Robert's voice was so loud, Liam could feel a draft on his ear.

He explained "She had an appointment with her friend Imogen but then she vanished. I tried to reach Imogen, she said her phone was stolen last week and she didn't know about a meeting with Len. We fear it was Hastings."

"Where was Frost, that incompetent bastard?! I thought he is so nuts about her, that he doesn't leave her out of his sight for even a second! I flay him alive!" Robert was furious.

"It's not his fault." Liam said weakly. "He had a meeting with MI5 and sent Johnson with her."

"And that Golem hasn't noticed anything? Couldn't they track her at least?" the older brother sounded desparate.

"They were clever and have thrown away her phone…" Liam's heart sank. He knew it wouldn't be easy to find her.

"Shit!" Robert said what everyone in the Palace was thinking.

* * *

Jasper's phone rang frantically till he put it on mute. There were several missed calls and a bunch of texts from both Princes, especially Robert was annoyingly stubborn and kept trying every few minutes. James had called too, but Jasper had told him he had an idea how to find Eleanor and would call back later. Right now he was driving on the A1 towards Cambridge.

* * *

Eleanor had decided to be a most annoying abductee and make as much noise as possible. Patience really wasn't her strength. So she pounded her fists against the door.

"Hey you twats! I'm the Princess! Let me out of here!"

She didn't have to wait long for success. She heard the key turning in the lock and shortly afterwards the door opened. Eleanor recoiled, as a scraggy woman entered the room. She had never seen this woman before, but she remembered her shoes, a gorgeous pair of blue Louboutins. No doubt. This was the woman, the feet in the dressing room belonged to. The woman she had taken for Imogen.

"I see, Your Highness has awakened." she noted with an icy voice. "Right about time. You have an appointment for tea."

Eleanor thought about to protest, but then rather took the opportunity to get out of this room. The icy lady led her down the stairs into a large living room. The heavy brown wooden furniture was probably antique, but not very elegant. Too massive for Eleanor's taste. The door was flanked by two huge, nasty-looking guys, with whom was certainly not to be trifled with. One corner of the room was dominated by a large heavy dining table on which was set for two. A way too familiar looking man was sitting at the table and greeted her without getting up, what Eleanor thought was extremely rude. Hastings.

"Ah, Princess!" he said that in a very mocking tone that allowed no opposition. "What an honor that you condescend to join me. Sit down!" He gestured towards the chair on his opposite.

She took place. "What do you want from me?"

"Well, I thought I should finally drink a nice cup of tea with my beloved sister." He spat the word 'sister' like a rotten piece of fruit. As if it would sicken him deeply.

"I'm not your sister!" Eleanor said stubbornly. "It's impossible, that a piece of shit like you could be my brother!"

His face darkened and Eleanor prepared herself for an outburst. She knew she better should not provoke him. He was dangerous. But she couldn't endure the idea that this scumbag should be her brother.

But then he just chuckled almost inaudibly. "You could ask your daddy how he fucked my mother. But I forgot, he is dead. For once, Pryce has done his job well. What a tragedy!"

"You gave the order to kill him, you monster! If you're really my brother, you murdered your own father!" she cried. She was tough, but the thought of her father made her almost collapse.

"He got what he deserved! He let me down! He let my mother down! He let them murder her and put their little bastards on the throne! You little bitch and your sleeky brothers. Well, now there is only one left, isn't it so?" he laughed a cold, sick and smug laughter.

 _'He didn't know!'_ Eleanor thought and immediately felt more confident. _'He didn't know, Robert is still alive. He failed and he didn't even know!'_ But she just swallowed and said nothing.

Apparently Hastings interpreted that as a concern, and seemed satisfied. In a gracious tone he continued. "But where are my manners. Here, drink your tea and eat a slice of this fantastic Victoria Sponge Cake. It's delicious. And as if to prove his statement, he took the fork and shoved a piece of cake in his mouth. It seemed to taste him good.

Eleanor looked at the table and her stomach growled. She had had no lunch and wasn't a big breakfast eater as well. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction to do what he said.

"Stop the games! What do you want? And where is Imogen? Have you threatened her?" she demanded to know.

"Imo…?" his face had a questioning look, but then brightened again "Oh, that ridiculous friend of yours. Don't be silly! It wasn't necessary. I just had to snitch her phone. Today's youth is so stupid. Rather text than call. So easy to fool."

Eleanor made a mental note to give up texts and only make phone calls in the future. How could she have been so dim-witted? She had gone directly into his trap.

"Stupidity doesn't feel so good, right?" he said triumphantly. "Now let me tell you a story!"


	23. Chapter 22: The Princess and the Villain

_Juliet and Luna: As always, thank you for your support! :D_

Ready for showdown? Let's have some more action!

* * *

 **Chapter 22: The Princess and the Villain  
**

Hastings talked. A lot. He told Eleanor the whole story in all its colourful details and didn't let out even the smallest trivialities. Not long and Eleanor was – despite her fear - pretty bored, but the guy was so full of himself that he didn't notice. _'Apparently villains are always talking too much.'_ she thought by herself, while she frantically tried not to fall asleep in case there was some relevant information between all this pathetic self-pity.

A few facts were, indeed, interesting. It seems it was no coincidence that he was adopted by the Hastings family. His adoptive father knew from the beginning that he was the son of Dominique Stewart and the handkerchief with the embroidered family crest of the Stewarts confirmed it. He also speculated that King Simon was Patrick's biological father. He had to be! Dominique Stewart wasn't the type to whore around. Thomas Hastings was a cruel, power hungry tyrant. A megalomaniac. He thought he could use the baby as a kind of weapon to shatter the British Monarchy and build his own empire in the resulting power vacuum. But then it turned out differently than expected. Dominique died and Simon married Helena. The future Grand Duchess of Oxford had thwarted his plans. Thomas was mad as hell and sought revenge (although he never had the opportunity himself in the end). He didn't care much for his adopted son, but he transferred his omnipotence-fantasies to him and poked his hatred for the Royal Family. He told him again and again that he was the rightful heir to the throne and that Robert and his siblings were filthy bastards who had no right to live in the palace. Patrick learned to hate the Henstridge family from the depths of his soul and planned their downfall for years. He built on networks, accumulated capital and power, and when his father died, he decided it was time to act. He hated Robert the most, because he had everything, what he thought should be entitled to him. It was HIS place and that bastard had to go. So he arranged this little plane crash. It was so easy. He delivered the technology that brought his rival to death. All he needed was a corrupt drone pilot. Most people do anything for money. Brandon Boone was no exception. After Robert's demise had gone so smoothly, his anger focused on Simon, the father who had abandoned him. (Except Simon didn't knew anything about Patrick's existence, but logic had no place here, Eleanor noticed.)

And NOW (Eleanor was suddenly wide awake again) he would finish the rest of the family. It was very easy to get Eleanor in his fingers, so she would be the first. And maybe he could even use her as bait. He had meanwhile got up and walked around in the room.

"And how did you imagine that?" Eleanor mocked. "Want to upload one of these stupid blackmailer videos on YouTube, where I beg for my life? In your dreams!"

"Oh no!" he stopped at the wall and let his hands slide over a samurai sword that was secured there. "I thought of something with a slightly bigger effect. A little souvenir perhaps." He took the sword, waved it around and balanced it in his hand. "Did the name Hattori Hanzo speaks to you, little sister?"

Eleanor was confused about the change of subject. "What?"

"Never mind! He was a great master swordsmith and, you see, I have big rats!" A completely insane expression took his face. "Let's see, which body part is most dispensable to you?"

Now Eleanor screamed…

* * *

Jasper could hear her scream from the outside of the building and froze in horror. He had managed to knock out the strange woman and that beefy guy who were prowling outside since they had left the house 20 minutes ago. The two were now pretty tied, laying in the shed. James was already informed but the reinforcement would take a while. He sneaked to the house and peered through the window now, where he saw another huge bloke who tied Eleanor firmly to a chair. Next to them was standing a demonic laughing Hastings with some kind of Japanese looking toy sword in his hand. It was him, no doubt! However, Jasper had imagined him taller. But there was no time for amazement, he had to act. He crawled around the corner to the terrace door and thought about picking the lock for a moment. But then he decided that there was no time and took a run.

* * *

Eleanor fought against the rising panic and lashed around. She even tried to bite Hastings's lackey, but that bloke was too huge and too strong for her. She ended tied to a chair.

"Tie her left arm separately on the armrest!" Hasting ordered. And to Eleanor he said "You see, I'm not a monster. I let you keep your right hand... for now."

Then he took a stand next to her and raised the sword with both hands. He took a moment to enjoy this whole situation, feel his power over her, before he intended to let the sword crashing down on her wrist. He waited a second too long.

Suddenly they heard a loud clash. The glass of the patio door shattered and a human body shot towards them with tremendous speed. Hastings was already in motion and Jasper could only throw himself between Eleanor and the sword. The sword crashed down and hit his arm, where it left a deep, bleeding gash and probably a fractured humerus. Jasper cried out in pain and fell to the ground beside Eleanor.

"Jasper!" she screamed in shock.

Hastings, who had retreated a few steps, was furious and made a move to attack a second time. But just before he was about to hit Eleanor, Jasper gathered his last strength and picked himself up to throw his body over Eleanor's in protection. The sword hit him again and left a deep huge cut across his back. He yowled in agony, fell again and remained motionless on the ground.

Eleanor was terrified. Jasper was defeated and now the way was free and Hastings could attack again. She was not sure for whom she was more afraid. For herself or for Jasper. Her heart was racing.

Hastings raised the sword... and stopped abrupt when he heared a soft click and felt the cool barrel of a gun at his temple.

"If I were you, I would stop that right away." said a snarky voice that made his hair stand on end. "Now! Drop! That! Fucking! Sword!"

"Robbie!" Eleanor cried with relief. On the other side of the room Miles Richards was already busy to lace Hastings's remaining footman up to a pretty small package. Then he untied Eleanor while Robert kept Hastings at bay. "You are supposed to be dead!" the villain whined.

"Surprise!" Robert said icyily to Hastings before he gave Len an reassuring smile.

Five minutes later, the cavalry came with James, Marcus and three other agents. The shocked Hastings and his minions were led away. And shortly after, the ambulance appeared to bring Jasper to the hospital. He was just so conscious but had lost a lot of blood, and severe pain. Eleanor refused to leave his side even for a second and went to the hospital with him.

"Don't dare to die, you numpty!" she said softly while holding his hand.


	24. Chapter 23: Once protector, always

First, I'm sorry for the long break. A lack of time and energy. We currently have a massive heat wave here and it's simply exhausting. Then I have a few health problems and a lot of sh*t to do... and my laptop has its quirks...  
Okay, but that's no excuse. I like to write and I should just take more time for it. That's it.

But the plus is: you had time to speculate. TinkStar87: Congratulations, you have it right. ;) The idea came to me, when I watched the new Star Trek movie (there are absolutely some parallels between Spock and Jasper). *lol*

Second: JulietLovesStories, Luna967, TinkStar87, Guest(s?) and all the new followers, thank you for your continued support. I highly appreciate it. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 23: Once protector, always protector**

Eleanor paced the hospital hallway up and down. Up and down. Up and down. It had been almost 2 hours, since they had brought him to the operating room. He still had severe bleeding on the way to the hospital and had eventually lost consciousness during transport. Eleanor was devastated. Despite her recent terrible experiences she could only think of Jasper. If he would die... she couldn't imagine how to live without him. The very thought drove tears into her eyes.

Robert watched Eleanor with concern. He and Richards had followed the ambulance. And their mother probably just got a heart attack because of this irresponsible action. What if someone recognised him? Officially he was still dead. But he couldn't let her alone in this situation. Only now he realized how much this cheeky bodyguard meant to his sister. And since he had let himself snip into pieces for her, the feeling was probably mutual. Robert had to admit that. Nothing and no one could separate these two ever again... if the bodyguard survived this. If he did, Robert would make his peace with him and give him his blessing.

"Lenny..." he said softly. "Everything is going to be alright. He is strong, he will make it."

He saw the tears in her eyes and so he took her in his arms and tried to comfort her. She sobbed silently into his shoulder.

At this moment the OR door opened and the doctor came out. He approached Eleanor and Robert.

"He has lost a lot of blood and a few of his bones are fragmented, but the operation went well. He had a blood transfusion and is now stable. It will take a while, but he'll recover completely. We'll bring him to his room right now. He is still asleep, but you can go inside. The anesthetic will soon subside and he will be glad to see you. He murmured your name a few times."

The doctor winked, but Eleanor was already on her way.

"Not a word to the press about this!" Robert snarled.

"Don't worry!" the doctor said. "I'm always loyal to the crown." And then he added "And I'm glad you're not dead, your Highness! Or should I say 'your Majesty'?"

* * *

Jasper was laying motionless in his hospital bed. He was so pale and Eleanor's heart sank. But he was breathing steadily. She sat down beside him and took his hand. Now she noticed, how tired she really was.

* * *

"Oh God, mum! Just calm down please, will you? I couldn't let her alone, you know that. You know how much she loves this bodyguard. He was badly injured and she was traumatized. She needed someone for support!"

"Yes, yes mum, he will recover. She is with him at the moment. Don't worry!"

"No, nobody recognised me, mum. I still have my beard and fancy hairstyle. It's all right."

Of course Robert did not tell her that the doctor had recognized him very well. He just hoped, he would not tell anyone. But his mother was right. It was time to make an announcement. Now that Hastings was behind bars, he had no reason to hide any longer. Rachel was going to organize a press conference tomorrow morning.

* * *

"Hello sweety!"

Eleanor heard a small voice and her cloudy head became slowly clear. She felt a hand on her head, which was gently caressing her hair. Apparently, she had fallen asleep on his bedside.

She straightened slowly. "Jasper! You're awake! I was so worried!"

"I was too, Princess. But I'm glad you're unharmed. I fear, I would not been able to do this a third time." he smiled softly.

"You saved my life!" she had tears in her eyes.

"I saved your hand." he corrected. "He probably wouldn't have killed you immediately."

"Idiot!" Eleanor laughed and it took a load off her heart. "The doctor says you'll fully recover."

He grinned broadly. "You see, you won't get rid of me."

"Speaking of which. How were you able to find me so fast? They took my phone, so you couldn't track me..." she asked.

Jasper said nothing, but looked slightly guilty. Finally his eyes turned to her bracelet.

"No, you haven't! Have you?!" Eleanor exclaimed and when he gave her a nod, she asked bewildered: "You gave me a tracking device? As a present?"

He gave her a crooked smile. "I'm sorry, but I wanted you to be safe."

"I... I don't know what to say." she said upset. "I don't know if I should be mad at you or love you even more for being so... so you."

"I'd favor the latter." he said simply.

And she did. She wiped a tear from her eye and fell into his arms for a long, gentle kiss.

* * *

When Robert finally came to Jasper's room to look for his sister, he heard happy laughter. He found the two huddled together (as far as Jaspers injuries allowed) in Jasper's bed. The tv was on and they just watched a stupid episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. It actually wasn't THAT funny, but the two laughed as if they had a lot to catch up. They looked so happy, Robert felt almost like an intruder.

But then Eleanor saw him standing in the doorway and smiled at him. "Robbie, come sit with us!" she pointed at the empty chair by the bed. "This sponge and that starfish are so funny. And Squidward totally reminds me of uncle Cyrus." She giggled.

Robert couldn't resist and joined the two for a while. Soon all three laughed wholeheartedly and the grief of the past months fell away from them. At least for the moment they were just friends who had fun.

Finally Jasper turned to Robert. "One thing I still don't understand. You and Richards, how could you be there so quickly? I just told James and he wasn't as fast."

Robert grinned. "We tracked your phone."

"You... you did what?" Jasper lost his words and looked astonished.

But Eleanor burst into laughter again. Who would have guessed that Jasper and Robbie were actually kindred spirits.


	25. Chapter 24: What Happened After Dinner

_mactraverlive: You are right. This needs an update. Sadly the progress of writing is rather slow at the moment, but I think, this is the penultimate chapter. I still have to brood a while about bringing this story to a nice end, so the last chapter might take its time too. But it will be followed by a final epilogue.  
_

 _Again I want to say thank you to all my readers for your comments and support. I think, this wasn't my last fanfic. But the next few will most likely be_ _ _one-shots or_ short stories. :)_

* * *

 **Chapter 24: What Happened After Dinner**

Two weeks later, Jasper was able to leave the hospital, but his movement was still restricted and it would still take a few weeks until he could return to duty. But Eleanor cared devotedly for him and their love was stronger than ever.

The people were overjoyed about the news of Robert's survival and now they discussed intensively which of the brothers should be King. Liam already was King at the moment and the people loved him, but Robert was the righful heir. Both camps were equally strong, and the people don't seem to prefer one of them clearly.

Since her abduction Eleanor was a media star and they passed her from talk show to talk show. The people wanted to know everything. How she had felt under Hasting's thumb, how her (very attractive) bodyguard came to rescue her and if she really was in love with him. And of course they wanted to know how she felt about Robert's survival and which of her brothers she thought should be King.

It was then in one of these shows when she said for the thousandth time that it was impossible for her to decide and that she loved them both dearly and in her opinion both were perfect for the job, when she added: "It was much easier in Narnia, there were 4 kings and queens, all brothers and sisters, who ruled at the same time."

This casually uttered sentence sat a wildfire in motion. The people stopped arguing about who should be king, they now wanted both brothers. And as a royal decision always had to be definitely clear, they wanted Eleanor additionally as Queen to make the final decision in case both brothers had different opinions. It was crazy and ridiculous, but more and more people loved the idea.

And so the people's desire resulted in a referendum where they could decide which of the Henstridge children should be King or Queen, with the additional option to vote for all 3.

The result was clear. 78,2% of the people wanted all 3 of them. The joyful cry of the nation was insane when the result was announced. And of course they had also to discuss the order of inheritance after all 3 of them would have abdicated (far in the future), but someone had the simple idea to just make the oldest of their children the next heir to the throne then. Everyone seemed to be happy with this unusual arrangement. The nation celebrated its new future Kings and Queen and Robert, Liam and Eleanor were overwhelmed by all the sympathy they got from the public. And they also knew: together they could do anything, even rule a kingdom.

* * *

When Eleanor came back from the press conference after the results were announced, Jasper stood smiling in her doorway.

"So Queen Eleanor it is... you have no idea how good that sounds."

"So you can screw another queen." she joked, but then got serious. "It's a huge responsibility, isn't it?"

"Yes." he said "But you'll make it great. And you will have your brothers by your side."

She smiled "Yes, I'm glad. That's the only reason I accepted this ridiculous arrangement. I shouldn't have said that thing about Narnia... but James had just lend me the Chronicles and I love these books..."

"You three will make history, believe me!" Jasper chuckled. "But to distract you a bit from your future duties. Hastings has finally agreed on a genetic test and the results came this morning."

"Oh my God!" Eleanor paled "I think, I need a seat. Or a drink. Or maybe both."

She sat down on her sofa while Jasper poured her a single malt.

"Don't worry!" he said while he handed her the tumbler. "They tested him twice with Simons DNA and it was both times the same result. He is NOT your brother!"

Eleanor exhaled sharply. It took a load off her mind. All the time she was so afraid that monster could be somehow related to her, to her father. It meant so much to her, that he was not her half brother. She wouldn't be able bear the thought.

"But he is, however, a Stewart." Jasper continued. "Seems he is really Dominique's son."

"But who was his father then?" Eleanor asked.

"As far as I know, it could be anyone. A one night stand, an affair she wanted to keep a secret. Maybe she even got raped. I fear we will never know. But it makes sense that she has secretly given the baby up for adoption. She was going to marry your father. The child would have destroyed everything."

"Poor Dominique! What did she have to go through." Eleanor said and took a big gulp of her drink.

* * *

"Helly...?"

Helena sat with a cup of tea in the Rose Garden and was lost in thought when she suddenly heard someone calling her name. Surprised, she turned in the direction from which the voice came.

"Alistair... what... why are you here?"

She hadn't seen him since he had sheltered Robert, nor had she tried to talk to him. She had thought, he wouldn't want to see her. So she was puzzled to see him.

"Robert told me where to find you. I think, we should talk." he said.

"About what?" It wasn't that she had no clue... but he had been the one who had ended it. A 30 year relationship. She knew it was her fault too, but she would have been willing to do anything to save their love. But to late, because he wasn't. Not anymore. She had tried to get over it. Get over him. But deep down, she still loved him. She knew it would always be him. No matter how much she tried. In her heart she was still the young girl, who would have given anything for a pebble from the man she loved. Now she was twisted between hope and pride.

"I know... I said a lot of things back then." he started. "And I was angry, because I thought this was a one-way-relationship. So I ended it. But I had a lot to think about us since then and I talked to Robert a lot. Now I realised, I wasn't fair to you. I've only seen it from my side. For me it was easy, I could do what I wanted... well, except beeing with you all the time. And I thought, the Queen, with all her power and money, would have this freedom even more. But I was wrong. I was horribly wrong and I can see that now. You hardly had a choice..."

She sighed. "Maybe I sometimes had a choice. Maybe I just made the wrong decisions again and again. Perhaps it was wrong to marry Simon. He deserved something better. Someone who really loved him. And I wouldn't have hurt you so much."

"But you couldn't let your family down back then. And you wouldn't have those three wonderful children. If you did something right, then this. Really, Helly, these kids are great. All three of them!" he smiled. "I love them. And I still love you, Helly! I know, I probably don't deserve a second chance, but if you still want me..."

He couldn't end the sentence, because she sealed his lips with a gentle kiss, while a single tear run down her cheek. This was all she ever wanted.

They had still a lot to talk and a lot to apologize for and a lot to learn and to plan. But this afternoon they were just Helly and Alistair again. And they were in love and had only eyes for each other.

* * *

 _*haha* I know, my solution is impossible for the real royalty, but hey... it's a fanfic... and I though it would be great to have all three siblings on the throne._


	26. Chapter 25: The last song

_The 3rd season is over and I was surprised and angry... and had a bit trouble to think about this last chapter. My Robert is very different from the real one. Although it makes sense and I'm almost sure he is the one behind his fathers death... but, you know, they all have always praised him to heaven... and now he is this manipulative bastard. I think it's a great plot twist. ^^ But I'm more angry about the whole Jaspenor story line, I'm sick of this constant back and forth. It makes no sense to me. Also I'm not a big fan of Kathryn. I just prefer Willow for Liam. ^^_

 _Well... okay... it took a long time (and I'm so sorry), but here is the last chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 25: The last song**

Paddy O'Malley was tired. He had been on his feet for 16 hours and after the night shift he was absolutely desperate to call it a day. There was only one thing to do before he could go home and take a looong nap. He shuffled through the corridors. 43 years in Wandsworth… and only two and a half more until retirement. The big key collar clattered as he slowly opened the massive steel door. He sensed something was wrong, even before he saw the legs dangling from the ceiling.

„Damn!" he cursed. Now he had to do a lot of paperwork before he could go home. „Why, the fuck, me?"

* * *

This morning the palace was like Grand Central Station. All were madly excited about the imminent coronation. And everything should be absolutely perfect, so there was still so much to do for the staff. Double workforce.

„Raaaaaaaachel!" Helena's voice echoed through the whole palace.

„Everything is prepared, your Majesty." Rachel replied. „The limousines will pick up your majesty and the Royal Highnesses in half an hour and take you to Westminster Abbey. The Archbishop of Canterbury is already there and prepares for the ceremony. On television is currently a special broadcast about the history of the monarchy. The press then begins to report in a quarter of an hour and will interview the Prime Minister and some of the attendant celebrities. This is followed by a live broadcast of the coronation ceremony and the subsequent state celebrations. Your Majesties will then attend the official State banquet in the palace with all important State guests and politicians."

„Pefect. Are the kids ready?" Helena was a bit nervous. Alistair would not be at her side at the coronation. It was too early and she wanted to make sure the press reported only about her children. But she would meet him at the banquet later.

„They will be here in 5 minutes, your Majesty." Rachel assured.

* * *

The drive to Westminster Abbey took much longer than expected. The streets were crowded with people, and all were celebrating exuberantly and everyone cheered at them. Eleanor had never seen so many people at once. The situation reminded her slightly of the Kings Cup, and she clung to Jasper's hand a little tighter than intended. He put his arm around her and she gratefully leaned back to him.

Liam looked out of the window and was amazed. „Whoa! I never thought, there were so many people in the world!" He pulled out his phone and took several photos. „Willow has to see this!" he explained.

„Why did you not bring her?" Jasper asked.

„Mom thought, this wouldn't be the right moment to announce our engagement." Liam smiled. „You know how she is. But I will see her later at the banquet."

„Guess you are lucky, you're on duty." Eleanor mocked Jasper. „Or you wouldn't be here either."

„Good. I wouldn't want to miss that for the world! My beautiful princess is going to be queen!" he said and looked Eleanor deep in the eyes till her cheeks began to turn red.

„Ding!" The noise came from Liam's phone. He looked at the display with an expression somewhere between disgust and amusement.

„It's Robert." He explained. „He says, we're almost there. And mum said, you should keep your legs closed when you get out of the car. We don't need another glance of the royal beaver to make this day special."

Jasper chuckled, but Eleanor gave him a poisonous look. Then she turned back to Liam. „Tell him, she is lucky she sits in the other car."

"Where is uncle Cyrus by the way?" she asked.

"Bahamas, whith Violet." he said, rolling his eyes but smiling. "Seems he is finally happy now he found true love. Who would have thought..."

The car stopped and a phalanx of bodyguards guided the 3 into the cathedral and into a small room where they could wait till the ceremony should begin. Robert, Helena and James Hill were already there. But they looked more nervous than it was appropriate.

Eleanor immediately sensed that something was going on. "What's wrong?" she asked. Helena kept humming and hawing, but Robert nodded to James who replied. "There was a message from Wandsworth prison 10 minutes ago. Patrick Hastings has killed himself. The prison guard found him dangling from the ceiling tomorrow morning." his lips had become a thin line.

Liam looked shocked but Eleanor was angry. "What an easy way out!" she ranted. "He deserved a worse punishment. Where did he get a rope at all? Why didn't they pay more attention?"

"It seems as if he had used dental floss." James raised his eyebrow. "He has always cleaned his teeth and consumed tons of floss. They just thought he had some sort of OCD. Nobody saw this coming. The prick collected it and tied a rope out of it."

Jasper gasped. "Bugger! Now we may never find out what happened with Dominique Stewart back then..."

James sighed. "We confiscated his property and took enough DNA samples ... but of course we can not ask him any more."

"Well, at least we know, he isn't our brother. That must be enough then." Liam grunted.

At that moment, the door opened and Rachel came in. "It's time!"

They gathered together and stepped out into the nave. At first Helena and Robert, then Liam and Eleanor, flanked by James and Jasper. Helena took her seat in the first row, James and Jasper stepped aside while the kids stood in front of the altar where the archbishop was ready to perform the coronation ceremony.

Soon Eleanor no longer thought about Hastings and enjoyed the festivities to the fullest. The crowd cheered, and it was so beautiful and uplifting. She was now queen and this were her people. The people to whom she had committed herself, and for whom she now wanted to do everything in her power so that they might be well and happy. It was a huge responsibility but she had her brothers by her side and she knew, she could be a good queen. She had her father as a guide and she would love her people just as much as he had. This was a promise. A promise she made to herself, to her father and to the people.

* * *

When Eleanor stepped on the balcony later, long after sunset, she was very happy. She was full of joy and love. The party had been fantastic, all her friends had come, she had her family and Jasper and finally she felt in the right place. Her search had come to an end. She knew who she was. She was the bloody Queen of England. And she knew it was right and it gave her an inner peace she had never felt before. All was well now.

"Are you happy?" Jasper stepped on the balcony behind her.

"Very!" she smiled while he put his warm armes around her.

"I love you!" he said.

"I know." she said, then she laughed and turned to him. "I love you too, Jasper! I love you so much."

"Then..." he fumbled around in his pocket "you may like this little present, I have for you."  
And he conjured up a beautiful ring. White gold with diamonds and sapphires that shone so brightly that Eleanor had to blink.

Her eyes became big. "Jasper... do you... is this...?"

He went to his knees before her. "Eleanor Diana Victoria Henstridge... I love you more than anything else on this world and I will never leave you again and do anything to support you and make you happy... if you let me. You know I'm not a man of many words... but please, would you consider to marry me?" He then had this crooked, shy smile on his face, which she could never resist.

She looked at him skeptically. "Do you know how to cook bacon?" But when he looked puzzled, she laughed. "Yes!" she beamed at him. "I want nothing more than spend the rest of my life with you, Jasper!"

He then put the ring on her finger and kissed her long and passionately. Then he took her hand and led her to a moonlight walk into the garden where they got lost in plans for the future, love, happiness and laughter.

~ The End ~

* * *

 _I know, it's very cheesy... sorry... XD_


	27. Epilogue

_There are still some open questions and_ _I think I owe the characters (and my readers) some kind of closure. :D_

* * *

 **Epilogue**

"This is a historic day for Great Britain and the whole world!" the reporter had trouble raising his voice over the noise of the celebrating crowd. "It's awesome! The streets are full of jolly celebrating people. The pubs and restaurants will be open all night and there are street festivals all week all over the country."  
Then he smiled "With these wonderful impressions of the coronation celebration, I say goodbye to you. We are now showing the latest episode of the EastEnders..."

Dominique switched off the tv with a slight smile on her lips. Then she turned her attention to a large cardboard box, which was on the floor. Recently, with Liam's help, she had found a beautiful apartment here in London and had all the things brought from her old house. Her father had no use for them in prison.

Among the stuff were also things she had never seen before. Especially one old box caught her eye. And now she was opening it.

It felt a bit like christmas when she realised, these things had probably belonged to her aunt. There were a lot of photos, some tiny baby clothes... a beautiful diamond ring (that must have been the engagement ring from Simon), a shaggy and obviously very much loved teddy bear, a few ribbons from horse shows... and deep down at the bottom of the box she found a slightly tattered notebook.

When she opened it, she realised: it was her aunt's diary. She began to read...

[10.05.1984]

 _Dear diary,_

 _there is this big ball this Saturday at Lady Alexandra's house. I am also invited, even if I do not know why. I feel that Lady Alexandra does not like me much. But Dad says I'm supposed to go, because as a future queen I have social responsibilities. I think I'll wear my emerald green dress. Simon always says it makes my eyes shine. It's a pity that he is not here to accompany me. He has to wait 3 more months to get a few days off..._

[14.05.1984]

 _Dear diary,_

 _the ball was wonderful. I met this nice young guy, Michael Drummond. We talked the whole evening and I think, he flirted a bit with me... but of course I'm not interested. He is not Simon. But he was a perfect gentleman and I had a nice evening. However, I must have drunk too much. I have a little memory loss. I only remember how Michael offered to take me home, that was around 1 am I think... and then I woke up on the bench on the porch at 3 am with a huge headache. Normally I don't do such things..._

Dominique raised an eyebrow and flipped a few pages.

[27.07.1984]

 _Dear diary,_

 _I feel a bit sick lately. The morning I had to throw up. Mom put me to bed, she thinks I'm coming down with something. The summer flu is spreading. Maybe I got infected. I hope I'll be better when Simon comes next week._

[09.08.1984]

 _Dear diary,_

 _Simon is here and I couldn't be happier. Well, I'm still a bit sick sometimes, but only in the mornings. It's okay most of the time, but I hope I do not infect him with something. I see him so rarely, I want to spend every minute with him. It still takes a whole year to finish his military training. But then we can finally get married!_

[15.08.1984]

 _Dear diary,_

 _Simon is gone again. I feel lonely... and I realised, I haven't had a propper period for quite a while now. It has always been very irregular, maybe it's the stress. My friend Stella said, I look a bit chubby lately and I should do a pregnancy test. But that's silly, how could I be pregnant? Before last week I had no sex for months!_

[21.08.1984]

 _Dear diary,_

 _what Stella said concerned me, so I made a pregnancy test... and it's positive. I have no explanation for this. It's a false positive, I'm sure. But I made an appointment with my gynecologist tomorrow... just to be sure. I feel anxious. How should that be possible?_

[23.08.1984]

 _Dear diary,_

 _I'm pregnant. And I don't know how that happened. The doctor said, I'm already in the 15th week! That means it was the time around the ball. I have a very bad feeling. What happened that night? Why can't I remember? I thought, I was just drunk and blacked out a bit, but what... what if he... oh God... I'm so scared!_

[28.08.1984]

 _Dear diary,_

 _I told my parents. They were so shocked. We have a very liberal law, but my mother said I can't have an abortion. I'm engaged to the future King. It would be too dangerous to let anyone know. There is only one way to avoid a public scandal. I have to go far away. Dad used his connections to send me to Yale for two terms. Abroad terms are always an enrichment for the CV, so noone would ask why. I just don't know what to tell Simon. I'm despaired..._

Dominique gasped. She couldn't read any further, because she felt a deep sadness. Her poor aunt. Her life was really under a bad star. No one but her parents knew what had happened then. She had confided it only to her diary. And it had kept her secret ... until now.

And there was something else... the name Micheal Drummond rang a bell although she could'n put her finger on it. She decided to tell Liam what she found.

* * *

 _2 days later in the palace_

"Baron Michael Drummond was a distant cousin of Lady Alexandra, the now former Grand Duchess of Oxford." James said. "He died 2 years ago on a boat trip."

Helena swallowed, "She planned it, I'm sure! She tried to make that poor girl pregnant to get her out of the way..."

"And when that didn't work, she drugged her horse." Robert finished.

Helena covered her face with her hands. "That's horrible! Everything to bring me to the throne. I never knew what she was capable of..."

Eleanor just shook her head. "No wonder, Mr. Stewart hates us so much. We can never make that right again!"

"No." Liam said thoughtfully. "But maybe we can do something to make it a little better. I want to do something for Dominique. I want to give her Grandmother's title. I want to make her the Grand Duchess of Oxford. I mean, that's only fair..."

Helena smiled "That will drive my mother to madness. I'm in! We will have to think about a story for the press, but I'm sure, that's no problem."

"Then it's decided." Robert said while Eleanor nodded enthusiastically.

And so Dominique Stewart came to glory and wealth. Something she had never expected. She used it wisely to make the world a better place. And when, a few years later, her father came out of prison and saw how successful and respected his daughter was, he buried his resentment against the royal family and made peace with the world.

Lady Alexandra could never be prosecuted, but without her title, she had no more joy in her life and finally died as an embittered old hag.

~ That's really the End now ~

* * *

 _Thank you for reading and for your patience!_


End file.
